Graduating with Mama Lopez
by jerzeyredhead
Summary: Santana and Quinn help Brittany with summer school, so Santana and Brittany can go to New York together. Mama Lopez is, as always, there to help. Mostly T, for swearing, but rated M for sweet lady loving in later chapters. Set after 3x22.
1. Chapter 1

It was just after 9pm when Santana sat on the back porch steps of her parents' house. She looked up at the crescent moon and sighed. She played with the frayed threads of her ripped jeans, rubbing the soft cotton tatters across the bare skin of her knee.

Graduation was a week behind her. The dinners and parties were over. Extended family had finally left. Mom and Dad took a long weekend trip to Chicago. She was finally alone. She could finally think.

A dog barked in the distance, and the wind hummed through the pine trees as she played with the half empty pack of Marlboros Puck had forgotten at last weekend's party. Santana didn't smoke much. Brittany didn't like it. Santana didn't particularly like it. But it seemed to go with her mood, and the glass of scotch that left a condensation ring on the step next to her bare feet.

Santana let out another breath, one of resignation, and lit the cigarette pinched in her lips. The head rush came and went. With her elbow propped on her knee, she took another drag from the cigarette and let it blow past the fingers that absentmindedly rubbed over her lips. Her other hand left her knee and reached down to feel the cool scotch glass, as she stared at the night sky again. Searching for answers.

"How could I have missed it?" she thought, taking a sip of the scotch. She let it soothe her throat that burned from the smoke.

"I had it all planned out," Santana sighed in defeat.

Santana did have a plan. It was a solid plan. A good plan. And Brittany threw the biggest wrench into the works. Santana shook her head, admonishing herself. Cursing for being too wrapped up in the plan. In herself. Santana had forgotten the most important part of it. Brittany.

Santana had quietly taken in all of Kurt and Rachel and Quinn's plans. She saw their unabashed hopes and excitement. She even let herself feel that rush a few times. But she needed to stay quiet, and focus on how to be a star, without looking like an excited puppy about to pee itself. She thought Rachel and Kurt needed at least five changes of pants the way they gushed and stressed over NYADA.

Quinn did it right, she thought. They were planners. Methodical, scheming sometimes sure, but always with the goal in mind. The trick was to keep everyone else none the wiser. Because if you fail, no one is there to say, "I told you so". You're only your own disappointment, and everyone else can continue believing you've got it all together.

Santana hadn't felt this out of sorts in a while. Her plan had always been New York. After killing it as Anita in West Side Story, she knew that was a feeling she wanted to repeat over and over in the future. Her future.

So Santana researched and plotted and planned. She wasn't going to enroll in a program like Rachel and Kurt. But she did look into acting and voice classes. Santana found out which ones were the best, or rather, the ones with the most successful clients. She looked into apartments and job opportunities to pay the bills. She practiced what she'd say to her parents, and how she could convince them to let her go. Pros and cons were laid out and she had answers for all their predicted objections. Everything she planned was solid. Her one mistake was that she assumed. Every time Santana pictured life in New York, it was with Brittany. Brittany would be there, taking dance classes or vet tech courses, or whatever the hell she wanted to do, but she was always there in Santana's vision. Brittany was always there.

Santana took another sip of her scotch and a long drag from the cigarette.

"I fucking assumed," she breathed out. "I just fucking assumed."

Santana stubbed out the cigarette and swallowed a mouthful of scotch. She stood up with the thought of crawling into her bed and hiding from the world. Then she sat back down on the porch steps. She needed a new plan, or at least half a plan. She wasn't going to wake up tomorrow as lost as she felt right now.

"God, I'm a shitty girlfriend," Santana whispered to herself, and the moon. "Why didn't I see the signs? Why didn't I just fucking ask?" Santana rubbed her hands into her temples and through her hair.

"Fuck".

* * *

Santana felt gentle fingers brush a lock of hair away from her face. She smiled into it, floating back to consciousness after a night of fitful sleep.

"Brittany," she whispered.

She heard a quiet chuckle, and smelled Chanel No. 5. Her brow crinkled.

"Morning mija," her mother whispered.

Santana's eyes blinked open to see her mother's gentle, smiling face look down on her. There was a sign of disapproval underneath the gentleness.

"Mama?"

Santana's eyes now fully open and focusing.

"What are you doing home? I thought you were gone all weekend?"

"Change of plans sweetheart," Maribel replied as she patted the side of Santana's head. "Come on, I made coffee."

Santana watched as her mother left her bedroom. She huffed and sat up, resigned in the fact that it was 8am on a Saturday and she was getting up. She sighed. "Thank God for coffee."

Santana found her mother sipping coffee at the kitchen island, reading the _Chicago Tribune_. The familiarity of this morning ritual gave Santana comfort, as she poured herself a cup. Wrong paper, but right scene.

Maribel looked up from the paper, and let it fall from her hand. She clasped both hands around her coffee mug and took a sip.

"There's an ashtray with cigarette butts on the back steps and an empty glass in the sink that smells an awful lot like your father's single-malt scotch."

Santana paused, the coffee mug half way to her mouth. Santana had forgotten she left those out. She was planning on cleaning that up today, before her mother was _supposed_ to be home. Santana looked to the sink and bit her bottom lip. Guilty. She sat across from her mother and looked into her coffee mug, searching for an excuse. The coffee wasn't talking and her brain was still half asleep.

"Santana," Maribel reached and stroked her index finger along her forearm. "Scotch and cigarettes don't help. Ever. Plus, that voice of yours is too beautiful for you to risk it with smoking. Please tell me last night was some sort of temporary insanity. Because if not, I'm buying you nicotine patches today."

Santana chuckled at the thought. "No Mama. Just a one-time thing. They're not even mine."

"Puck shouldn't smoke either," Maribel shook her head.

Santana smiled, "There's no telling him anything Mama. You know that."

Maribel nodded and smirked. "So, drinking and smoking? You want to tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

Santana wiped a bead of coffee that ran down the side of her mug, contemplating her next words.

"Brittany."

"Not graduating?" Maribel clarified.

Santana nodded. "And she didn't tell me." Santana looked up at her mother for agreement. "She didn't tell me. All that time I could've been helping her study, and she didn't tell me." Santana shook her head and looked up at the ceiling for some kind of answer or sign or relief from her frustration.

"You didn't ask," Maribel calmly replied.

Santana nodded her head and looked into her coffee mug again. She slid her hand back and forth around the warm ceramic cup.

"I assumed. I guess," Santana explained as she finished the rest of her coffee. She stood up to refill her mug and looked over to her mother.

"Yes thank you," Maribel replied, and handed Santana her mug.

Santana returned to the kitchen island with fresh mugs of coffee and continued,

"It's like, either I was too wrapped up in _my_ plan to get to New York, or," Santana paused to steel herself for the next admission, "I kind of knew, and didn't want to deal with it."

Santana rubbed her hands over her thighs and gripped her knees. "Either way, I wasn't thinking about Brittany. Not the way she thought about me."

Mrs. Lopez raised her eyebrow, "What do you mean? The scholarship?"

Santana pursed her lips and shook her head, "The scholarship, supporting me when I was outed, trying to help me fulfill _my_ dreams. She even told me, that's what partnerships are about. I say the dream and she helps make it happen. But I didn't return the favor. I didn't ask her. I didn't try. It's all me, me, me, me, me."

Santana wiped a single tear from her cheek and sniffed. She took a couple deep breaths. It was too early in the morning to start crying. She had to work on her new plan.

"So now, I've got to figure out how to go to New York _with_ Brittany. GED? Summer school? I, I don't even know what _she _wants to do. I don't know what her parents have said about it. I just…I hate this feeling," Santana confessed.

Mrs. Lopez got up and pulled out a notepad and pen from the drawer behind her. She placed it in front of Santana and gave her a hug from behind.

"Then do something about it," Maribel whispered in her ear.

Mrs. Lopez walked away and out the back door, taking her newspaper with her. Santana stared at the blank notepad, and twirled the pen in her hand.

"Get it together Lopez," she said to herself. "Let's do this."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Your favoriting and reviewing and alerting are just...well, they warm my little shipper heart. So thank you all!

**Special shout out to**: Walsh, CBGB and vero– seriously, your enthusiasm is awesome. I'd PM you, but **somebody** doesn't play that way. Tsk tsk. My shyest readers are all kinds of flattering. You know that gets you everywhere with me! All are welcome to hit me up on Twitter and tumblr as well. So, you know, you have options.

* * *

Maribel Lopez folded her newspaper and dropped it gently to the ground with a sigh. It was time for her to check on Santana. As she entered the house, she found the kitchen empty. No Santana, no notepad, no coffee cup. Mrs. Lopez looked up toward the top of the stairs and smiled, shaking her head. "That girl is nothing if not determined," she thought to herself.

Mrs. Lopez approached Santana's door and peeked in. Santana was at her desk, hunched over the laptop. She was still in her pajamas, looking at the computer screen, then jotting down notes, then looking up at the screen, scrolling, writing notes again. Santana put down the pen and took a gulp from her coffee cup, never once letting her eyes leave the screen.

"Santana, have you been up here the whole time?"

Santana replied with a grunt.

"Have you eaten?" Mrs. Lopez asked with some concern.

Santana shook her head no, never moving her eyes from the laptop screen.

"Come on. Take a break."

"Can't."

"You can and you will," Maribel replied. "Take a shower. Get dressed. I'm making breakfast." She looked at the clock next to Santana's bed. "OK, brunch. I'm making brunch."

"Mama, I _have_ to get this done," Santana retorted, scribbling more notes.

"How many cups of coffee have you had?" Mrs. Lopez asked as she fully entered the room.

Santana paused and thought, "Four?"

"You'll have a tummy ache if you don't eat. And you'll be no good to Brittany if you're complaining of a sour stomach instead of helping her, hmm?"

Mrs. Lopez came up behind Santana and put her hand gently over Santana's and placed the pen down. Santana slumped slightly.

"Alright," Santana half-heartedly agreed.

After her shower, Santana felt a little more relaxed. She took the time to put her hair in a French braid, slipped on a faded Cheerios t-shirt and some ripped jean shorts. Santana smelled the eggs and bacon and pancakes as she came down stairs.

"Smells great Mama," Santana said, as she exhaled from taking a deep breath in smelling all the brunch aromas.

Maribel just smiled and flipped a pancake. Santana started making a fresh pot of coffee.

"That better be decaf," her mother warned.

Santana put the regular coffee back in the cabinet, and took down the decaf. "Yep, sure is," Santana confirmed.

"You going over to Brittany's after you eat?"

"Yep," Santana replied as she watched as the coffee dripped into the carafe.

"Don't sound too excited," Mrs. Lopez chided. "I thought you'd be a little more excited considering you've got a novel's worth of information written in that notepad on your desk."

"I just don't want it to turn into a fight," Santana confessed.

"Why would it turn into a fight?" Mrs. Lopez asked, stacking pancakes on a serving dish.

Santana poured a fresh cup of coffee for herself and her mother, and sat down at the table, gathering her thoughts, as she filled her plate.

"Because I'm still kind of mad…at her…at myself…ugh! I _hate_ this feeling!"

Santana silently cut up her pancakes into bite size pieces with her fork.

"You going to eat that or just keep rearranging your plate?"

Santana huffed, "I'm working on it." Santana cut up more pieces of her pancakes, then moved onto cutting up her eggs. "How do you do it Mama?"

Maribel looked over at her daughter, "Do what?"

"Talk to Dad when you don't want to. About tough stuff. About things you know you need to go right. Without fighting."

Mrs. Lopez swallowed her last piece of bacon and clasped her hands under her chin.

"Sweetheart, your father and I fight sometimes…well, more like disagree with vigor," Maribel said with a smirk. "It's scarier to talk about stuff the more important they are to us. We disagreed about you and college for instance."

Santana looked up from her plate concerned. "Why didn't I hear about this?"

Maribel chuckled, "Because I won that argument. Papi wanted you to go to college no matter what. Which I understand, and I think you do too. You've talkied about wanting to go to college before."

Santana nodded, "I'm not totally against the idea. I just…I don't think it's for me right _now_. I want to take classes and learn stuff, I just don't know if I want a degree right now," Santana explained.

Maribel understood, "And I reminded him that it's not for everyone. Even though you _definitely_ have the brains and drive for it. I told him that I didn't go to college and look how amazing I turned out," she explained with her arms open, gesturing for Santana to admire her.

Santana laughed out loud. "You _are_ awesome Mama. I'll give you that. But seriously, I'm nervous about talking to Brittany. How _do_ you do it with Papi without…I don't know…"

"Santana, when it comes down to it, at the heart of everything, is love. Your father and I love each other. And no matter what, we don't forget that. With that love comes understanding, respect and a _lot_ of compromise. A _lot_ of compromise," Maribel concluded with a smile.

"If it's that important that you and Brittany come to an agreement, you will. It may not come out as you planned or when you planned, but that doesn't mean you two didn't come to the agreement you should in the end."

Santana sat and finished her brunch, nodding at what her mother had said. She let it sink in and mentally prepared to go over to Brittany's house.

* * *

Santana stood at the Pierce's front door, armed with her notepad. She hesitated, rang the doorbell, then flinched, knowing there was no going back now.

She heard Brittany yell, "I got it!" from the second floor of the house, and her feet jogging to the front door. She opened it with a smile,

"Hi," Brittany grinned.

Brittany was wearing just a sports bra and low slung baggy sweat shorts.

"Thank God for air conditioning," Santana thought, then remembered she hadn't even greeted Brittany.

"Hi," Santana returned the greeting. "Working out?"

Brittany stood aside, and let Santana into the house. She gave Santana a peck on the cheek as she let her pass. "I was. Just dancing in my room," she replied.

"Cousins finally gone?" Brittany asked as she closed the front door and followed Santana to the kitchen.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Cousins, aunts, uncles, people I don't even know. Yes, finally, all gone. Thank God."

Brittany chuckled and retrieved two bottles of juice from the fridge, opening one and handing it over to Santana.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Brittany asked. "Your text was kind of vague."

"Let's go up to your room, k?" Santana suggested, taking Brittany's hand and leading her up the stairs.

"Are you sure you wanted to talk, or is this a 'talking with our tongues super close' kind of talk?" Brittany teased.

Santana smiled and looked sideways at Brittany. "Seriously tempting, considering how little you're wearing, _but_ I do want to actually talk…about…stuff," Santana faltered.

Brittany furrowed her eyebrows, more out of curiosity than concern. Santana sat down on Brittany's bed and pulled Brittany over to sit with her. Brittany sat cross-legged across from Santana and idly petted Lord Tubbington's back as he lay half asleep beside her.

"What's up?"

Santana rubbed her fingers in her lap and looked up at Brittany. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I want to talk about graduation."

"What about it? I thought it was a great day," Brittany grinned. "And Rachel's party was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Though Sugar taking one of Rachel's dad's Xanax was a big mistake. She was loopy for _hours_, and…"

"No," Santana interrupted. "I mean, yes, Berry's party was surprisingly not a complete disaster. And Sugar on a Xanax is just…wow. But I wanted to talk about you _not_ graduating. I mean, really talk about it, and…us."

Santana shifted of the bed, head down, but looking up at Brittany. Brittany saw that Santana's eyes and face were expectant and pleading and nervous. Brittany was kind of nervous too. Brittany smiled reassuringly at Santana, then ducked her head down, pulling at the hem of her shorts.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Brittany whispered.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask," Santana replied.

Brittany gave her a tight smile and a sympathetic sigh. "You had a lot going on. And I got busy helping you out and making sure you were okay, I just kind of forgot to take care of myself too."

"And that's where I screwed up, Britt. I should've been doing the same thing. Checking in on you, helping you…not that you needed help or checking up on…I mean…you just seemed to have everything so together, when I was falling apart and freaking out and getting all wrapped up in myself, and there you were all constant and steady and…_you_ that, I totally overlooked…_you_. And, and…I'm sorry for being a shitty girlfriend, and an ungrateful bitch and fucking things up, and not helping you, or asking if you needed help, or doing all the shit a girlfriend is _supposed _to do. Like you did. You did it right, and I fucked it up, and…"

Brittany leaned in and kissed Santana to shut her up. Santana's eyes widened in surprise, and when she was about to return the kiss, Brittany pulled back.

"You didn't fuck up," Brittany consoled and took a breath. "Everyone has their time, when they need extra support. And you needed it more than me this year. Because, because of getting good with yourself and us and being out and your abuela and being a leader on Cheerios and the Troubletones and in the New Directions, and running for Prom Queen and, and…it's just, that, I didn't need help with me being me and you did. And I thought that should take a front seat, and I could take the back seat, for a while. It was _your_ time. Your time for me to stand back and support _you_ and I guess, now it's _my_ time to…um….to"

"To?" Santana promted.

"To ask for help," Brittany admitted, looking down at her lap, then over to Lord Tubbington. Anywhere, but at Santana.

Santana reached out and held Brittany's cheek in her hand and tilted her head so she could meet her gaze.

"I'm here. I've always been here for you. Even when I lost my shit and got so wrapped up in what everyone else thought or did. I never, _ever_, want you to think I'm not here for you, because I am. And I'm sorry I didn't notice you needed me earlier. I really am sorry about that."

Brittany smiled at Santana and nodded. "Well, I got pretty good at hiding it. Apparently, looking like I'm just coasting through school and life is like, the easiest thing for me to fake," Brittany admitted with a sad smile.

"Hay, we're going to fix this," Santana assured her. "We're going to do this together."

"I don't want you to stay in Lima just for me Santana. It's not fair to you."

Santana shook her head, "I can't just leave you. I may be a lot of things, but I'm really not much at all without you."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Dear Readers - big, sloppy, possibly wet kisses to all of you. The stats for this fic are off the charts. Glad my head canon is resonating with so many of you. Bless your precious unicorn hearts. Mwah!

* * *

Brittany and Santana were lying side by side on Brittany's bed. Their legs intertwined, as Santana's fingertips grazed up and down Brittany's arm. Santana watched Brittany's eyelashes flutter up and down as she blinked. Brittany chewed on her bottom lip and hooked her thumb back and forth, in and out of Santana's belt loop.

"You lied to me about your GPA," Santana started quietly. "And about being in class. I sat next to you in half your classes, so this whole 'I never went to class' thing is…well…bullshit."

Brittany looked into Santana's sad, yet soft eyes and returned them to her thumb on Santana's waist. Brittany nodded.

"Why?"

Brittany let a small breath out between her lips and shrugged. "It's the first thing that came to mind. It seemed better if I was miles away from graduating, rather than kind of close to graduating. Then maybe, you wouldn't be so upset. Kind of like, it's worse when you lose by a little bit than losing by a lot and knowing you never had a chance," Brittany explained.

Santana cuddled up closer and steeled herself as she hugged Brittany tightly. The warmth of Brittany's cheek against hers, red with shame and embarrassment cooled Santana's anger and disappointment that Brittany didn't feel she could be honest with her.

"How close?" Santana asked.

"I failed two classes. I didn't really know for sure until I got the grades on my final tests. But, I was…I was afraid it was true. But I was _hoping_ I could skate by. Just under the wire. Like I did with the OGT. But I didn't. I was just under passing," Brittany pouted.

"God I hate those standardized tests," Santana complained. "I almost didn't pass that damn thing. I could've had straight A's, failed that, and not graduated."

Brittany let a little smile of pride cross her lips. "I think I did better on that than you."

Santana smirked, "It's because you're smart Britt. Just different smart. And anyone who does well on standardized tests is 'different smart' to me. I _hate_ them."

Brittany pressed a kiss to Santana's forehead. "But you did pass, and that's all that matters," Brittany comforted.

Santana sighed, and ran her hand over Brittany's hair and across her cheek. She held Brittany's face in her hand and coaxed her eyes to meet her own.

"Which classes did you fail?" Santana quietly asked.

"English Lit…"

Santana let out a breath of relief. She was good at literature. She could totally help her with that.

"...and Chemistry," Brittany finished.

Santana let out a groan she meant to keep in her head, but the thought of helping Brittany with Chemistry was just too painful to be contained.

Brittany sat up, "It's hopeless."

Santana immediately sat up and grabbed Brittany's hand. "No!" Santana yelled. She took a moment to compose herself. "No," she said calmly. "It's not hopeless. _You're_ not hopeless. I can help you with English," Santana assured.

"And Chemistry?" Brittany dejectedly asked.

"We'll get Mike. Mike's like, scary smart with science," Santana nodded and grinned.

"He's a counselor again at Asian Camp with Tina. They're gone most of the summer," Brittany pouted.

Santana bit her lip and looked down. "Crap." She looked up at the ceiling, thinking. Looking for answers. Finn and Puck barely passed. Sam and Joe hadn't taken it yet. Sugar…absolutely not…

"Blaine," Santana suggested.

"Five shows a week at Cedar Point," Brittany replied.

"Kurt?"

"Working full-time at the tire shop in the day and figuring out how to get to New York at night," Brittany explained.

"Artie. He's almost as good at science as Mike," Santana suggested.

"He's doing a summer film program at OSU."

"Mercedes?" Santana hesitated. She wasn't too sure how she'd done in that class.

"Already practicing songs for her job and looking for places in L.A." Brittany replied.

"That leaves Quinn and Berry," Santana concluded.

"I can't spend that much time with Rachel," Brittany stated with a finality that made Santana smile.

"No one can, Britt. Well Finnocence can, but that's not saying much," she sighed.

"He can eat a bag of dicks for all I care," Brittany spat.

"Still not over that, eh?" Santana smirked.

"Never. Moving on," Brittany stared sharply back at Santana, clenching her jaw.

Santana looked down at her phone, nodded and smiled to herself. Santana started scrolling through her contacts. "Let's hope Quinn hasn't run off to New Haven yet."

* * *

Santana dropped off her car keys inside the front door and heard her mother hanging up the phone in the kitchen.

"Santana? Is that you?" her mother called out. "I thought you were staying at Brittany's for dinner?"

"Me too Mama," Santana replied, meeting her mother in the kitchen. "But her parents came home and they're having some kind of 'family meeting'. I'm not sure what it's about. But, anyway, I'm here. She's there," Santana smiled through her worry.

Maribel gave her daughter a sympathetic smile and picked up the phone and hit redial.

"Hi, yes, yes, I'd like to add to my order? Great. Add an order of Pad Thai and those fresh veggie rolls. Thanks. Yes, that'll be all. Thank you. Bye." Mrs. Lopez hung up and looked over at her daughter. "I didn't plan anything for dinner since I thought it was just me tonight."

"Thanks Mama," Santana moved and gave her a quick hug.

"Sooooo…how did it go with Brittany?"

"A lot better than I thought," Santana sighed, leaning her elbows on the kitchen island counter top.

"You mean a lot better than you feared," Mrs. Lopez corrected her.

Santana breathed out a laugh and nodded. "Yes, yes, you were right. And before you say I told you so, thanks for the good advice. Keeping my eyes on the solution stopped me from going all…"

"You?" Maribel smiled at her knowingly.

Santana gave her mother an exasperated look and nodded.

"Anyway," Santana continued. "We have a good plan. "

"Enlighten me," Mrs. Lopez said, as she pulled out plates and chopsticks for dinner.

"Summer school. Brittany failed English and Chemistry, so she has to retake those. Those are the only two she fell short on getting enough unit requirements to graduate. If she passes those, she can get her diploma," Santana explained.

"And the rest of her classes?"

"Two Cs and a D. She passed the state graduation exam. Actually, she scored higher than me on it," Santana admitted.

"You always did hate standardized tests," Maribel added.

"Don't remind me. Studying for the OGT _and_ SATs was a _nightmare_," Santana grumbled.

"No GED?" Maribel continued.

"Nope. You can't be enrolled in school and you have to be 19 in Ohio. Britt's parents won't let her drop out and she won't be 19 for another nine months."

Her mother nodded with understanding. "So, you're helping her with English? Who's your Chemistry wiz, because I know that was a C you were happy and surprised you got," her mother teased.

"Quinn," Santana replied, perking up. "Nothing like getting the class valedictorian to help you pass, right?"

Mrs. Lopez smiled and nodded. "How's her plans for Yale coming?"

"Good," Santana replied.

The doorbell rang and Mrs. Lopez gathered her cash and greeted the delivery girl. Santana quickly took the Thai take-out from her mother and started dishing out the food onto their plates.

"Quinn's pretty set. Freshman orientation and move-in isn't until the second week of August. She's working part-time over at the bookstore, but she said she has plenty of time for Britt," Santana explained between bites of noodles.

"Don't' talk with your mouth full Santana," Maribel corrected.

Santana sucked up a noodle into her mouth and quietly chewed.

"How's her back? Is she done with physical therapy?"

"Yeah, well, she _was_ done, but she over did it at Nationals. You know Quinn, she's as stubborn as I am. She didn't hold back _at all_ in Chicago," Santana smiled and shook her head. "So she's going back once a week and doing some exercises and stretching at home."

"You girls…" Maribel shook her head and sighed.

* * *

Santana's cell phone vibrated on her nightstand, and stirred her awake. She looked over at the clock. 1:00am. Santana reached for the phone blindly and knocked it on the floor.

"Fuck," she grumbled and swung her body over the side of the bed, hanging her torso off the bed and feeling blindly in the darkness for her phone that was somewhere on the floor. Her fingers grazed against cool plastic.

"Aha!" she sleepily congratulated herself for finding her phone. She opened her text messages and read.

**Hey, can I come over?**

**-B**

Santana smiled, then frowned, remembering Britt's "family meeting". Was she ready for the results? She quickly texted back "Yes" then added, "Back yard".

Santana pulled herself back up into bed, then untangled her legs from the sheets and got up. She slipped on some sweats and a hoodie and crept downstairs. The TV was on and her mother was asleep on the couch. Santana smiled down on her and gently draped a throw over her mother. Santana tip toed to the hall closet and pulled out a checkered blanket her family used for picnics and trips to the lake.

Santana walked through the kitchen and out the back door, careful to softly close it. She walked out to the double hammock under the maple tree and lay down, pulling the blanket up to her chin to wait.

It wasn't 10 minutes, before Santana heard Brittany's car pull up to the curb in front of her house. Santana smiled and sat up as much as she could and saw Brittany's shadowed figure, make her way to her.

Brittany silently slipped under the blanket and nuzzled her head into Santana's neck. Santana hugged her tightly to her body and rubbed her hand down her back.

"Hey," Santana whispered.

Brittany sniffed, "Hey."

"What's wrong Britt?"

"My parents have to go to Santa Fe this week."

Santana had visions of a parentless house and its endless possibilities. "For how long"? she grinned into Brittany's hair.

"Most of the summer," she pouted.

"What?" Santana pushed Brittany away just enough to meet her face to face. "Why? What about your sister? And…and…why?"

"Grandma's sick and they need to take care of her. She broke her hip and there were some…complications…infection I think. The Medicare or whatever insurance she has doesn't cover home health care that good. So, Mom and Dad are going to drive out and stay with her and help her get better. They're taking my sister with them."

"What are they doing about work?"

"Dad's telecommuting. He does all his work on his computer anyway, and Mom's taking family leave."

Santana wrapped her arm and a leg around Brittany and held her close. "So, they're just leaving you here. By yourself? Will they be back for the end of summer school? To see you off to New York?" Santana whispered in her ear.

Brittany shrugged. "They don't know. Too early to tell, I guess."

Santana gave Brittany a squeeze, for comfort, for sympathy, for the words she didn't have for her. Brittany sighed into Santana's hug and kissed the nape of her neck. Then Brittany yawned.

Santana chuckled at her sleepy girlfriend. "Don't start something you don't intend to finish," she smirked and kissed Brittany's temple.

Brittany gave her a tired smile, "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

"It's okay Britt Britt. Do you have to go back home, or are we sleeping out under the stars tonight?"

"Hmmmph, I don't wanna move," Brittany grumbled and yawned again, trying to curl closer into Santana.

"Did you at least leave your parents a note?"

"They know I'm here. They were still up when I texted you."

"OK. Sleep then," Santana cooed in Brittany's ear and gave her a soft kiss goodnight.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: to vero and others (outside the US?) who've commented on GED and such. Every state is different when it comes to their graduation requirements from public school beyond the federal minimums, and how/when you can get your GED. Some states you can drop out at 16 and get a GED. Just depends. I looked up OH's graduation requirements and went from there. I wanted to base this in some sort of reality.

* * *

Mrs. Lopez rubbed the sleep from her eyes and started to stretch. "OW!" she flinched. "Dammit. I'm too old to fall sleep on the couch," she chided herself, as she slowly, gingerly, sat up.

She walked upstairs to the bathroom to freshen up and peeked into Santana's bedroom. An empty, rumpled bed greeted her.

"I'm going to kill that girl," Maribel sighed, rolling her eyes. "If she thinks I can't ground her for sneaking out, she's got another thing coming."

Maribel shook her head and returned downstairs and made a fresh pot of coffee.

She heard the newspaper hit the front door, and went to retrieve it. She returned to the kitchen, filled her coffee cup and retreated to the back porch to enjoy the peace and quiet of the early summer morning. Maribel sat down, placed the newspaper on the side table and enjoyed her first sip of coffee, gazing upon the dewy back yard.

There, under the maple tree, she realized her daughter didn't sneak out in the middle of the night…well, not too far at least. Maribel smiled, picked up the newspaper, and settled into her morning ritual.

Santana woke up with a start. Brittany had slipped her feet now ice cold, under the blanket and against Santana's own.

"Jesus, Britt," Santana complained. Brittany stirred.

"My feet are cold," Brittany mumbled.

"No shit," Santana winced, squirming to get away from her cold feet, while not tipping the hammock.

Brittany opened her eyes and smiled as she was greeted with the rise and fall of Santana's chest, that doubled as her pillow for the night. She slid her hand up and cupped Santana's breast over her hoodie gently and hummed. Santana looked down at Brittany's hand and smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Britt, feeling me up is not going to distract me from your freezing feet."

"I'm not 'feeling you up'. I'm just more thoroughly cuddling," Brittany explained.

"Is that what you kids are calling it these days," Mrs. Lopez asked from behind them.

Santana twisted her head around in shock. Brittany didn't move. Santana looked down at her chest, and quickly moved Brittany's hand to her stomach. Brittany looked up and smiled at Mrs. Lopez.

"Morning," Brittany greeted her, sliding her arm up and over Santana's shoulder.

"A little early to be getting handsy, isn't it Brittany?" Maribel teased.

"Mama!" Santana complained. "What are you, like a ninja? Sneaking up on us like that?" Santana then saw two steaming cups of coffee in her mother's hands. She licked her lips. "Did you bring us coffee?" Santana asked apologetically.

"Yes I did. So I'm allowed to tease you, or no coffee for you," Maribel smirked and handed over the coffee.

"Thanks Mrs. L," Brittany smiled, still sleepy and sat up to drink her coffee.

"You're welcome Brittany," she said, turning to her daughter, eyebrows raised, waiting.

"Thanks Mama," Santana replied sheepishly.

"That's more like it. So," Mrs. Lopez brought over a nearby lawn chair and sat down, putting her feet up on the edge of the hammock, "what brings you to this little sleepover Brittany?"

"Got some crappy news last night," Brittany responded.

"I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother Brittany. I hope she gets better soon," Maribel consoled.

Brittany scrunched up her face, "Huh?"

"Your mom called me last night. We had a long chat about you and Santana and summer school and New York and well…we did a lot of talking," Maribel explained with a comforting smile.

"What? Really?" Santana leaned forward.

"Your compulsive need to plan had to come from somewhere, didn't it Santana?" her mother smirked. "Anyway, we had a good talk and while your parents are away, I'm your 'other mother' for the summer."

Brittany smiled. "Yeah, Mom and Dad mentioned something like that before I came over last night."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Santana smacked Brittany on the arm.

"Ow, hey, I was tired. It's not my fault you're such an awesome cuddle buddy. Can't help falling asleep with you," Brittany smiled and kissed Santana's cheek.

Santana smiled and looked away.

"Fine," she huffed. "So, Mama, our plan is to get Brittany to pass English and Chemistry in Summer School, then go to New York. What's your plan?"

"Same thing, for the most part," she smiled. "The Pierces have some concerns with Brittany staying at the house by herself, potentially all summer, considering the kitchen incident last year, so we've agreed she can stay here, in the _guest_ room, Santana, before you get any ideas," Maribel shot her daughter a knowing glare.

Santana smiled mischievously.

"Ahem, anyway," Maribel continued. "Brittany, you're still responsible for the lawn and picking up the mail and keeping an eye on your house of course."

Brittany smiled, "And Lord Tubbington can come too, right"

"Yes, that was a sticky negotiating point, but we got through it," Mrs. Lopez sighed. "Litter box in the laundry room Brittany and completely your responsibility, okay?"

Brittany nodded enthusiastically and smiled.

"Mama, Brittany doesn't exactly need a baby sitter you know. And that 'mishap' in the kitchen was a total fluke. Never happened again," Santana explained, trying to stick up for her girlfriend's adulthood.

"Look, Brittany's parents are in a bind. Susan planned on spending the summer…passing on some solid…life knowledge to Brittany before she undoubtedly went to New York with you, and now she can't. So, it's my job to impart a little wisdom, on both of you," Maribel looked sternly at Santana.

"I can cook!" Santana shot back.

"Spaghetti and brownies doesn't count Santana. Neither of us is going to let you go with nightmares of your fridge being full of Hot Pockets and Ramen."

"I like Hot Pockets," Brittany sulked.

"OK Brittany, but you can't live on Hot Pockets alone, right? So, this summer, not only is Brittany going to be the star student, you both get laundry, cooking, budgeting and grocery shopping lessons. Starting this weekend."

"There goes summer vacation," Santana huffed.

"Hey, this is important, Santana. I have three months left with you before you're gone. You _know_ I believe in you and your talent and your drive to pursue your dreams. I do. But, I'm still your mother. And _I_ need this, probably more than you do," Maribel admitted.

Santana looked down at her lap, then up at her mother with a sympathetic smile and nodded. She looked over at Brittany, who looked like she wanted to give Mrs. Lopez a hug. "Yeah, okay Mama. We're good. Thanks. Thank you, for doing this for us…with us," she smiled.

"Come here," Mrs. Lopez said standing up and reaching out her arms. Santana moved to get out of the hammock, but misjudged how their weight was distributed, and flipped both Brittany and herself onto their backs in the grass.

Brittany just laughed as she wiped spilled coffee off her arm and Santana sighed in defeat. Then started chuckling.

"Wow, I'm graceful, eh?" she said, getting up.

"The _most_ graceful," Brittany agreed, pulling grass clippings out of her hair.

Mrs. Lopez giggled and enveloped both of them in a bear hug. "Oh girls, I'm going to miss you so much."

Santana gave her mother an extra squeeze, "We can cram in a lot in three months Mama. Promise."

"OK, let's get breakfast going, hmm?" Maribel nodded to the girls. "We have lots more to talk about too."

* * *

Mrs. Lopez showed Brittany how she makes omelets, as Santana portioned out the fruit salad and poured the juice.

"What do you have going on today?" Mrs. Lopez asked.

"We're going to meet up with Quinn, grab some coffee and go over the syllabus for summer school," Santana explained.

"It starts in two weeks, so it'll be good to know what I'm getting into," Brittany added. "Oh, Santana, I have to go home first though and change and check in with my parents. They weren't sure when they were leaving last night, and they wanted to talk to me about New York more."

Santana nodded, but she started to get a little nervous about the Pierces. Did they trust Brittany enough? Did they trust _her_ enough to know they'll be okay? Santana shook the thought away and smiled back at Brittany.

"See you at the Lima Bean then?"

Brittany flipped the omelet and didn't spill it. She raised both her fists in victory. Mrs. Lopez gently pulled her spatula-wielding hand down.

"Yep. I'll be there," Brittany confirmed.

Santana and Brittany ate with Mrs. Lopez and helped her clean up the breakfast dishes.

"Where's your Dad?" Brittany asked as she loaded dishes into the dishwasher.

"Four week medical training, exchange…thing?" Santana answered, looking to her mother for clarification.

"Close enough, Santana. He's in Columbus Brittany. He's training on some new medical devices and training others on some of the equipment he uses. He does it a few times a year," Maribel explained.

"So he's not going to be around much before you go to New York?" Brittany ran her hand down Santana's back.

Santana shrugged if off, "Nope."

"It was planned long before we knew Santana was going to be 1,000 miles away instead of just over in Kentucky," her mother clarified. "He couldn't get out of it. He tried."

Santana's forehead crinkled, "He did?"

Maribel sighed and shook her head disappointed Santana didn't give her father enough credit. "Of course he did," she said, with a gentle smack to the back of Santana's head.

Brittany chuckled at their exchange. "Hey, I gotta go. Thanks for breakfast Mrs. L." Brittany smiled as she gathered her car keys and headed to the front door.

"I'm just going to walk Brittany out," Santana informed her mother as she jogged across the living room to catch up with Britt. Mrs. Lopez just rolled her eyes.

"So, 2 o'clock at the Lima Bean?" Brittany confirmed with Santana as they walked out to her car.

Santana nodded, playing with their loosely linked fingers.

"Good luck with your parents," Santana forced a smile to hide her nerves.

"Don't worry honey," Brittany whispered in her ear as she hugged her girlfriend. "Trust me, okay?" Brittany pulled back and waited for Santana to meet her eyes.

Santana sighed and smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

Brittany kissed Santana goodbye. She pulled back slightly, rubbed her nose against Santana's, "See you later…roomie" she smiled and skipped off to her car.

Santana stood there, watched Brittany's car disappear down the street, nodding and smiling to herself. "Roomie," she chuckled to herself. It sounded silly. And she felt silly for liking the sound of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Pierce Residence**

* * *

Brittany walked up to her house, greeting her mother and Lord Tubbington on the porch.

"New gnome?" Brittany asked, touching the top of the garden gnomes red hat.

Mrs. Pierce smiled and nodded. "He's going to hang out in the roses."

"Cool. I like him. But he looks like he's trouble. He's got a sly grin," Brittany joked.

"Hmm," Mrs. Pierce considered, "better put Grandma Gnome with him then. She'll keep an eye on him."

Brittany giggled and sat down on the porch step.

"How's Grandma?" she tentatively asked.

Mrs. Pierce sighed, putting down her garden gloves. "No better, no worse," she said with a tight smile. "We're going to head out Saturday."

Brittany pursed her lips and nodded her head in understanding. She ran her palm over Lord Tubbington's fur and wondered if they'd make it back to see her get her diploma.

"We'll be back in time sweetheart," Mrs. Pierce knelt down and rubbed her hand over Brittany's shoulder. "Promise. We'll be here for you," she said with a reassuring smile.

Brittany gave her mother a sideways hug and smiled wide. "I don't want to graduate without you," Brittany admitted. "I don't want to go to New York if you're not seeing me and Santana off either."

Mrs. Pierce's tight smile returned. "We're going to do everything we can to help you get what _you_ want out of life. I promise you that."

Brittany got up and carried Lord Tubbington with her into the house. She showered and dressed in sandals, tank top and shorts. She scratched Lord Tubbington behind the ears and sighed.

"I'm pretty sure Mom and Dad aren't thrilled about me and New York. What do you think? I think it'll be exciting. I loved it when we went last year to Nationals."

Lord Tubbington just purred and closed his eyes, lulled by Brittany's petting.

"Lot of help you are," she grumbled and moved to her desk. She was checking her Facebook feed when her mother called her down for lunch.

* * *

Her mother and father were already sitting in the breakfast nook of their kitchen, picking out sandwiches and filling their plates with salad.

"Hey Daddy, how's it going?"

Mr. Pierce's warm smile spread across his face. "Good. Good. Got things at work all ready for Santa Fe. And you? How's preparations for Summer School going? Mom said Santana and Quinn are going to tutor you."

"Yep!" Brittany smiled. "It's good, because they get me. I think it'll be good."

"That's great honey," Mrs. Pierce chimed in.

"So, what are you plans for when you get to New York?" Mr. Pierce asked.

"Coach talked to one of her former students that coaches cheerleading at a middle school there, and she needs help. And Charlie over at the Humane Society made some calls and if I want, I can maybe get some work at one of the no kill shelters there. Might have to volunteer for a while, like here, but I've got some people to hook up with there. And there's this dance school near Time Square, has classes. And they have work study program, so if I can get into that, then I won't have to have 2 other jobs."

Mrs. Pierce was mid-chew, staring at her daughter in disbelief.

Brittany stared back at her mother. "What?"

Mrs. Pierce swallowed. "Um, honey, I'm just surprised…when did you have time to do all this? _How _did you do all this? Did Santana help you?" she sounded half accusing.

"Santana doesn't know yet, because I didn't know if I was going to graduate, or what. So, I started looking into it when Santana said she wasn't sure if Louisville was for her. I pretty much knew then that it was going to be New York. I just took the time to do some research, while she figured her own stuff out."

"You should've been a Boy Scout, you're so prepared," Mr. Pierce chuckled and shook his head.

"You should've been spending that time on your school work, instead of figuring out how to get to New York with Santana," Mrs. Pierce chided.

Brittany slumped slightly. "I know Mom. But I get Santana. She's easy. Chemistry isn't."

Mr. Pierce laughed under his breath.

Brittany got the double entendre. "Dad! Not what I meant," and she threw a baby carrot across the table at him.

"Stop it you two," Mrs. Pierce raised her hand. "Anyway, Brittany, our condition for you going to New York with Santana was that you have a job. Which looks like you'll have."

Brittany nodded and smiled, "Hopefully."

"And what about school?" Mr. Pierce added.

"Well it's too late to apply to full programs, so I'm going to take some classes, get to know who's good and who's not and try to get in one in January. If not, for next year then," Brittany explained.

"So it's going to be dance then?" Mrs. Pierce tried to clarify.

Brittany shrugged, "I love dancing, but I don't know if I want it as a job. I love animals, but being a vet is out of my league…well at least vet school is. But I've got time. If that's okay with you guys that I take this year to work and take classes and try to figure out stuff."

"It's great by me honey. I wish I took a year off, instead of changing my major three times in college," Mr. Pierce smiled.

"It's not my favorite plan, but it's a plan, so yes. A year." Mrs. Pierce dabbed her mouth with a napkin and nodded. "I can handle a year," Mrs. Pierce acquiesced.

* * *

Quinn looked up from her Chemistry notes when she heard it. Santana smiled as she closed the Cliff's Notes on MacBeth. An elderly couple next to them scowled and Santana's smile broke and scowled back at them. The curtain rod vibrated with "Who Run the World" booming out of Brittany's car as she pulled up to the Lima Bean. Brittany sat there, singing at the top of her lungs, with her car parked, until the song ended. She hopped out of her car and bounced into the Lima Bean, and quickly found her friends.

"You're going to go deaf listening to music that loud, " the older woman commented as Brittany passed.

"Huh?" Brittany turned to her.

Santana opened her mouth to give the old woman a piece of her mind, but stopped as Quinn gently placed her hand over Santana's and gave a slight shake of her head. Santana closed her mouth and furrowed her brow at Quinn. Quinn just smiled and patted the top of Santana's hand.

"Hey guys!" Brittany greeted, pulling up a spare chair to their table. She leaned over and pecked Santana on the cheek and gave Quinn's shoulder a squeeze.

"Thanks so much Quinn, for helping me with Chemistry," Brittany breathed a happy sigh of relief.

"My pleasure Britt. We'll get you through this. I promise," she smiled.

Brittany glanced down at Quinn's Chemistry notebook, which was actually a thick three-ring binder with color-coded tabs.

"Wow Quinn, you're like, super organized," Brittany commented, running her fingers over the rainbow of plastic stick-tabs.

"She's been hanging out with Berry too much," Santana teased.

Quinn rolled her eyes and blew her bangs from her own forehead. "I've downloaded the syllabus for Chemistry Britt, so I was comparing it to what I had in my notes. I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything," she explained warmly to Brittany, then gave a narrow-eyed glance to Santana.

"And I've got Lit covered Britt," Santana beamed, patting the small stack of novels and Cliff's Notes and wire-bound notebooks in front of her. "_MacBeth_, _Lord of the Flies_, and a collection of Edgar Allan Poe poems," Santana confirmed with a nod of satisfaction.

"You guys are the best," Brittany gushed, her eyes watering. "Really, I don't how I can thank you."

"Well, consider this payment for all those dance lessons in glee club and never dropping me in those Cheerios pyramids," Quinn explained.

"And you can pay me back later," Santana teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

Brittany scoffed and smacked Santana playfully on the arm and they both giggled. Quinn laughed as well, shaking her head at Santana's remark.

"Alright, school starts in two weeks. So Quinn, why don't we get together next week and review the first week's classes. Then maybe, it won't be such a shock when I actually get into class," Brittany proposed.

"I'm available from 2pm on Britt. I'm only busy in the mornings," Quinn offered.

"And you get me and Mr. Shakespeare after dinner every night, starting next week, since MacBeth is first on your schedule," Santana explained.

Brittany sighed and looked back and forth between Quinn and Santana. "I'm really going to graduate, aren't I?"

Quinn and Santana each grabbed one of Brittany's hands from her lap and held it on top of the table. "If we have anything to do with it, definitely!" Quinn exclaimed.

"Definitely," Santana assured her.

"Well then, mochas are on me!" Brittany grinned and went up to the counter and ordered their drinks.

"Santana leaned in and whispered to Quinn, "So what do you _really_ think Fabray?"

"I think we _really_ have a lot of work to do. Aside from that, I reserve all judgment until we start seeing her test scores come back. It's only fair, to Brittany and you."

"Wait. What? Why me?" Santana's confusion amused Quinn.

"Because, you're more nervous about this than any of us Santana. You want Britt to graduate _so_ much. Because, if she doesn't, _again_, you're not going to want to go to New York. Which means you're going to have to put off singing and acting or whatever you want to do there. Which means you're afraid you're going to resent Brittany for keeping you back. But you see, it's not her fault, because it's _your_ decision to make. You just don't want to make it. So you're freakin' out about summer school, and putting enough pressure on yourself for ten people, because you don't want to have to decide if you stay or go. So, I'm reserving judgment on how tough this is going to be for Brittany. For me to tutor her. For you to tutor her, and most of all, I'm reserving judgment, for now, on how well you keep your shit together."

Santana's agape mouth finally closed, and she straightened up, then sat back in her chair and shrugged. "I thought you were going to drama school, not majoring in psychology," she grumbled.

Quinn smiled, "I've known you too long Santana. I _always_ knows what's going on in that head of yours, well, when it comes to Brittany, I know."

"Fuck you Fabray."

"I love you too Santana," Quinn smiled.

Santana huffed, then smirked.

Brittany returned with three mochas. "So, how's plans for Yale coming Quinn?" Brittany asked, handing her a cup.

"Fine. I find out who my roommate is in a few weeks. My mom on the other hand, has officially gone off the deep end."

"How so?" Brittany asked.

"Because she bought out the entire 'Campus Collection' at Target. I told her the rooms are really small, but it didn't matter. So now I have a ton of crap for my dorm room and either I'm giving half to my roommate, or she's going to be returning a _lot_ of stuff," Quinn explained, shaking her head.

"Judy doesn't do things half way," Santana commented.

"Nope. Just like her daughter," Brittany agreed.

Quinn looked over at Brittany with a grimace, but it softened, when she realized Brittany was complimenting her on her drive, if not her occasional craziness. Brittany smiled back and sipped her mocha.

"Alright ladies, I have to get back home and stop my mom from buying any more fabric storage boxes," Quinn said as she stood up. "Brittany? Monday at 2? Your place or mine?"

"Actually, Santana's. I'm staying there this summer."

Quinn's eyebrow rose. "Well, that's…convenient?" she was thoroughly confused.

"I'll explain later," Brittany assured her. Quinn nodded and smiled.

Quinn gave both Brittany and Santana hugs and walked out of the Lima Bean.

"So, you ready to get your learnin' on Monday?" Santana asked, placing her hand over Brittany's.

"Yep." Brittany replied with confidence. "Though I'm thinking more about spending time with my parents tonight. They're leaving soon," Brittany sulked, but attempted a brave face.

Santana squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay." Santana let out a breath and an encouraging smile. "Promise."


	6. Chapter 6

Brittany and her parents spent the next few days together. Mrs. Pierce reminded Brittany about mowing the lawn and watering the plants and picking up the mail once a week at the post office. Friday, after dinner, Brittany went into her room to pack a suitcase with a week's worth of clothes, while her parents finished packing and helping her younger sister pack for their trip to New Mexico.

Mrs. Pierce took a break from the preparations and walked out to the front porch and sat down. She exhaled a big breath and scrolled through her cell phone contacts and called Mrs. Lopez. They discussed the trip to New Mexico and Brittany's summer school schedule. Mrs. Lopez assured Mrs. Pierce that she had everything ready for Brittany to stay at their house and they agreed again, on what their daughters needed to know for both of them to sleep at night after the summer was over.

"I don't know how to thank you Maribel. I think I'll be thanking you for years for all you're doing to help us out."

"Don't say another word Susan. Brittany's a great kid, well, young woman," they both chuckled. "God, it doesn't seem like I'll ever get used to saying that," Maribel admitted. "Anyway, I can't thank _you_ enough for being there when we found out about our daughters'."

"It was only fair to give you a heads up when I found them like that," Susan chuckled.

"I guess it's comforting to know that making out in parked cars hasn't lost its popularity," Maribel smiled into the phone.

"Very reassuring," Susan agreed. "So, how's Santana doing with planning for New York? Brittany's been pretty focused on figuring out what she wants to do, which I feel better about now. So I didn't ask."

"Well, she's signed up for a voice class and an acting class and one other I can't remember off the top of my head right now. Anyway, she started looking into apartments…well neighborhoods that look affordable. Well, affordable by New York City standards," Maribel sighed. "She also started job searching, but I'm not sure how much luck she's had with that. She did filing at the hospital last summer, and that's it, so she doesn't have the strongest of resumes."

"I'm sure she'll find something," Susan encouraged. "She's nothing if not resourceful. Oh and speaking of Santana, mind if I talk to her for a few minutes?"

"Is it your turn to put the fear of God into her if she messes things up with Brittany, and only thinks of herself, she'll regret it forever and ever?" Maribel joked.

"Something like that," Mrs. Pierce smiled into the phone.

"Good, because she needs to be reminded of that every now and then. Brittany is so, _so_ important to her, that she loses sight of all the practical day-to-day relationship things. Plus, I think she needs to hear it from someone other than me."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure I have the right balance between gentle reminder and threats of bodily harm."

Maribel laughed and called for Santana.

"Hello?" Santana greeted into the phone.

"Hi Santana, it's Susan Pierce."

"Oh hi Mrs. Pierce. What's up?"

"I just wanted to have a little chat with you about going to New York with my daughter," Mrs. Pierce plainly stated.

Santana didn't like the tone of her voice, and looked warily up at her mother who leaned up against the kitchen counter. Mrs. Lopez just smirked at her as if to say, "You're on your own kid," and left the room. Santana gulped.

"Um, sure?" Santana worried her bottom lip into her teeth.

"So, what are you plans?"

Santana relaxed a little. She had plans. "Well first, of course, is helping Brittany with summer school. I got all the books for her English class and I'm re-reading the first one now. I'm also job and apartment searching. I started making a budget so I know how much I have to make every month to afford rent and stuff, so you don't have to worry about that. I looked into dance schools for Britt some possible job opportunities for her, and…"

"…and you haven't said a word about this to Brittany," Mrs. Pierce interrupted.

"Well, no, because I didn't want her to worry about that stuff."

"What makes you think she hasn't already worried about it and come up with her own plans and solutions?" Mrs. Pierce asked pointedly.

"She never said anything," Santana replied a little sad and worried.

"Did you ask her?"

Mrs. Pierce was met with silence on the other end of the phone.

"Santana, a relationship is a two-way street. Not a one-way where you drag my daughter down the street you think she's supposed to go."

"I…"

"No. I'm not finished," Mrs. Pierce interrupted again.

Maribel Lopez peeked her head around the doorway to check in on Santana. There, she watch her daughter pace back and forth, head down, running her hand through her hair. Santana sat down, her right leg bouncing quickly up and down. Maribel gave a sympathetic smile toward her daughter's back and turned away.

"I need you to promise me something. Just one thing," Mrs. Pierce's voice softened.

"Anything," Santana replied back, almost as shaky as her leg.

"Promise, you will always, _always_ ask Brittany what she wants and thinks. _And_, more importantly, you need to _listen_ to her when she does."

"Of course, Mrs. Pierce. I promise," Santana affirmed.

"Because, if you did that already, Santana, you would be a lot more relaxed."

"What do you mean?"

"Ask Brittany," Mrs. Pierce reminded Santana.

"Okay, okay, I will," Santana promised.

"One more thing Santana," Mrs. Pierce continued.

"Yes ma'am?" Santana's worries returned.

Mrs. Pierce couldn't stifle the little giggle that escaped her lips at the word ma'am. "You know how Brittany is really protective of you, because she loves you and cares about you?"

"Yeah, she's the best," Santana smiled.

"Well Brittany's love and loyalty and protectiveness for you is just a _shadow_ compared to how I feel about her, so if you screw this up in New York with Brittany, so help me God, you're going to be dealing with _me_. And you don't want to be dealing with me, do you?"

"Yes ma'am. I mean _no_ ma'am. No. No," Santana stammered her promise.

"Good, now put your mother back on the phone," Mrs. Pierce instructed.

Santana called for her mother and handed over the phone. Maribel saw Santana's ashen face, pale with worry and stress as she slinked out of the kitchen and upstairs.

"I thought you were going to find a _balance_ , between gentle and 'Mama Grizzly'," Maribel chuckled.

"Sorry Maribel," Susan Pierce sighed. "I went with 'good cop-bad cop'. You're officially good cop now."

Mrs. Lopez laughed and they continued talking about their daughters.

* * *

Later that evening, Mrs. Lopez found Santana fluffing the pillows on the guest room bed. She watched as her daughter smoothed over the covers, checked the clock on the nightstand with her phone and adjusted the time. Maribel saw the garment bags pushed aside in the open closet door, providing plenty of room for Brittany's clothes. The top two bureau drawers were open and empty with a fresh sachet of lavender carefully placed in the center of the drawers. Mrs. Lopez smiled to herself, as she watched her daughter work to make the guest room Brittany's bedroom. Maribel left Santana to fuss over it, and checked the hall bathroom to make sure Santana had cleaned the tub like she asked.

The tub was spotless. The medicine cabinet mirror was spotless. A stack of neatly folded towels sat on the lip of the tub. Mrs. Lopez opened the mirror door to find an unopened toothbrush, mouthwash, dental floss, ibuprofen, fresh razors and shaving cream, a three-pack of raspberry Lip Smackers and a box of Sponge Bob Square Pants Band-Aids. Underneath the sink, Maribel found shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, and lotion that could only be Brittany's brands.

"You've been busy," Maribel smiled, as Santana tried to fold a spare blanket so it fit perfectly at the end of the guest bed.

"I just want everything to be perfect for Britt," Santana explained, not looking up from her task.

"Santana," Maribel put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Brittany's been spending half her life here for the past four years. Why does everything have to be 'perfect' all of a sudden?"

Santana sighed in frustration. The blanket wasn't cooperating, and she was still on edge after Mrs. Pierce's threats. "If I screw up, Brittany's mom is going to have my head," Santana confessed. "So everything has to be perfect. It's my job. I'm supposed to take care of her."

Maribel took the blanket from Santana, quickly re-folded it and placed it at the foot of the bed. Santana huffed at her mother, and how easily she fixed it. "Your job, Santana, is to take care of her heart. Everything else falls into place after that," Maribel explained, as she left the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Ah lots of Mama Pierce love. Glad you dig her. Fear not, she shall return!

* * *

Mrs. Lopez locked the doors and drew the curtains as she closed up the house for the night. She put Santana's discarded flip flops in the coat closet, and refolded the afghan and draped it on the back of the living room couch. She entered the laundry room to check on her final load of laundry for the day, and to make sure Santana had made room for Lord Tubbington's litter box like she had asked. Maribel found a new litter box, with litter mat and scoop tucked in the corner. In the opposite corner was a new cat bed with a toy mouse inside. Mrs. Lopez closed the door and went into the kitchen to set up the coffee for the morning. Next to the counter, near the back door were two ceramic bowls decorated with cartoon fish and mice sitting on a plastic mat full of cartoon cats with napkins tied around their necks. Maribel smiled and shook her head lightly. "That girl," she said to herself. Santana's preparations for Lord Tubbington rivaled getting ready for Brittany's stay.

Maribel made her way upstairs and opened Santana's door to check on her. Santana was sitting up in her bed, _MacBeth_ open face down on her chest, and Santana was fast asleep. Maribel walked in, took the book from Santana and placed it on her nightstand. She kissed her daughter's forehead and smoothed over her hair, shut off the light and retreated to the hallway. Mrs. Lopez opened the guest room to make sure everything was set for Brittany's arrival. She flipped the light switch and saw that it looked just as she had left Santana in it earlier that the evening with one exception. A bright, white, fluffy stuffed unicorn sat on the pillows of the guest bed. Maribel shut off the light, closed the door and turned her head to gaze over Santana's bedroom door. She closed her eyes, sighed, and retired to her bedroom for the night.

* * *

The sun woke Maribel at 6:30 Saturday morning. "So much for sleeping in," she grumbled to herself. She pulled on her robe, slid her feet into her slippers and made her way out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen.

"Ow! Fuck!" Santana yelled from the kitchen.

Maribel quickened her pace and arrived to find Santana with her wrist under running water in the kitchen sink and a cookie sheet of biscuits steaming on the stovetop. A torn box of Bisquick sat on the kitchen island, and its contents were scattered from the counter to the floor. Mrs. Lopez rushed to her daughter's side.

"Let me see," Maribel commanded, grabbing Santana's left arm.

Startled by her mother's sudden appearance, Santana jumped and banged her wrist against the faucet. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" Santana chanted, holding onto her forearm.

Mrs. Lopez ignored Santana's swearing and inspected Santana's wrist. A small red welt formed on the side of her wrist. Maribel reached for the aloe plant in the kitchen windowsill and snapped off a stem. She gently retrieved Santana's wrist from the running water, patted it dry and rubbed the aloe over the burn. Maribel blew over the welt, and Santana's face relaxed with the soothing balm and cool air.

"Okay?" Maribel looked up into her daughter's eyes.

Santana nodded, "Thanks Mama."

"Now," Maribel stepped back, letting out a steadying breath. "Why on earth are you up at this hour of the morning baking biscuits and burning yourself?"

Santana surveyed the mess she made in the kitchen, but smiled at the perfectly golden brown biscuits on the stove. "Brittany's going to be here soon, so I thought it would be nice…like a housewarming…or something," Santana shrugged. The realization had set in that from her mother's or anyone else's point of view, this looked a little strange, or crazy.

Maribel turned to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup of coffee and hide her smirk. At this moment she was certain her daughter epitomized the definition of "head over heels in love" and "trying too hard".

"That's sweet, Santana. It's very thoughtful of you," Maribel praised.

Santana nodded to herself and grinned in self-satisfaction.

Mrs. Lopez walked away and retrieved the morning newspaper from the front steps. She walked back into the kitchen, picked up her coffee cup and opened the back door and turned to Santana.

"This better be cleaned up by the time I've finished my coffee," Maribel warned as closed the door behind her. Santana looked around the kitchen and her shoulders slumped.

The doorbell pulled Maribel's thoughts away from the business section of the newspaper and wondered if she had given Santana enough time to clean up the kitchen mess. Mrs. Lopez let the newspaper fall flat on her lap and she leaned back to listen. She heard Santana's footsteps down the stairs and the front door unlocking.

* * *

Brittany gave Santana a tired smile when she opened the door. Her eyes were red from crying goodbye to her family earlier and her arm ached from carrying Lord Tubbington In his cat carrier. She set the carrier down and adjusted the straps of her backpack. Santana drew her into a soft hug.

"It'll be okay Britt," she whispered in her ear. "It'll be okay."

Brittany let out a little sigh of relief and nodded into Santana's shoulder.

"Come on, let's get you and the big man into the house," Santana said as she pulled away and grabbed the cat carrier.

"Jesus!" Santana grunted, as she strained with the carrier. It bumped against her calf and the hard plastic scraped her skin, as she limped into the house.

Brittany wasn't sure for whom she was more worried, Santana's strained shoulder, or Lord Tubbington getting sloshed back and forth with Santana's struggles. Santana made her way to the laundry room, mumbling about putting him on a diet or a treadmill or both.

Brittany stepped into the house with her suitcase and backpack. She dropped them at the bottom of the stairs and followed Santana into the laundry room. Brittany shut the door behind her. She noticed the new litter box and cat bed and smiled. Her heart warmed at Santana being so thoughtful about Lord Tubbington as she is with her. Santana opened the cat carrier door and stood back with her hands on her hips. Brittany sidled up and slid her arm around Santana's waist, resting her head against Santana's.

"He's not coming out," Santana complained. "Why isn't he coming out? You're free from your cage Tubbs! Come on. You're sprung from kitty jail."

"He's just scared Santana. Leave him alone. We'll check in on him later."

Brittany and Santana emerged from the laundry room and met Maribel in the kitchen. She had set the biscuits on a serving plate and put out an assortment of jams and jellies for them to choose from.

"Wow, these look great and smell even better," Brittany praised. "Thanks Mrs. L." Brittany sat down and turned the jars to read the labels.

"Oh don't thank me, dear. Thank this one," Maribel nodded her head toward Santana. "She was up before me baking these and burning herself," Mrs. Lopez smirked.

Santana rolled her eyes at her mother, then turned and gave Brittany a small proud smile, and quickly shrugged it off.

"What do you mean you burned yourself?" Brittany asked.

"It's nothing, just a little burn. My wrist hit the oven rack when I was taking the biscuits out," Santana waved it off.

Brittany got up and took Santana's left hand in hers, turned it to see the small red welt just below her thumb. Brittany looked to Santana with a sympathetic pout. Santana rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I'm fine," Santana assured her.

Brittany leaned down and put a light kiss on Santana's burn. Then stood back up and gave her a peck on the lips.

"Okay, I'm better now," Santana smiled.

Brittany grinned back and sat back down and picked out a biscuit. Maribel served up the coffee, and they all enjoyed their simple breakfast.

Brittany and Santana got up a started clearing the breakfast plates.

"Hold up, not you," Maribel said to Santana. "You cooked, we clean, those are the rules. Finish your coffee. Brittany and I've got this."

Santana gave a little celebratory fist pump and sat back down. Brittany and Maribel did the dishes. Brittany returned and sat next to Santana, and inspected her burn again.

Maribel turned to the girls as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel. "So, why don't we get Brittany settled in upstairs and then we'll go over the house rules, then we'll make a shopping list for the store tomorrow."

Santana gave Brittany's shoulder a little nudge. "Come on. I got your room all ready."

Brittany watched as Santana picked up her bags and walked up stairs.

"What are you waiting for Brittany?" Maribel teased.

Brittany got up and quickly stepped up to Mrs. Lopez and gave her a crushing hug. "This. Thank you so much."

Maribel rubbed Brittany's back and returned the hug, "Oh sweet girl. You know you're always welcome here." Maribel pulled out of the hug. "Now go upstairs and get settled in," Mrs. Lopez said, giving Brittany a gentle shove. "Go on."

Brittany climbed the steps two at a time and met Santana at the threshold of the guest bedroom.

Santana spread her arms wide to her side, "Ta daaaa!"

Brittany took in the cleared out drawers, the half empty closet and the neatly made bed. She jumped on the bed and grabbed the unicorn.

"Awwww," she cooed and cuddled it. "Did you get this just for me?"

Santana smiled and nodded a bit shyly.

"I'll have to think of a name for him," Brittany said as she looked closely into his face, trying to decide what name would fit him.

"We have time for that Britt. Let's get you unpacked."

Santana helped Brittany put her clothes away. When they were finished, they both flopped down on the bed. Santana scooted up to the pillows and sat up. Brittany crawled up and snuggled into Santana's chest. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany and smoothed her hair.

"Is this okay?" Santana asked.

Brittany gave Santana a gently squeeze and looked up at her, "It's perfect," she smiled.

Santana leaned down and pressed a light kiss upon Brittany's lips. Brittany's hand slid to the back of Santana's neck and pulled her into her lips. Santana smiled and slid down and on her side. Brittany parted her lips and teased her tongue in between Santana's lips. Santana let out a soft moan and slid her leg in between Brittany's. Brittany's reply was to slide her hand up Santana's shirt, feeling the warm skin of her stomach as her hand moved up and gave Santana's breast a gentle squeeze. Santana let out another moan, and pressed into Brittany's hand and sweeping her tongue deep into Brittany's mouth.

"Looks like it's time for the house rules," Mrs. Lopez suggested, leaning up against the doorjamb.

Brittany withdrew her hand quickly from under Santana's shirt, and sat up. Santana stayed lying on the bed, covering her face with her arm.

"Fuck," Santana whispered in frustration.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," Maribel dryly replied.

Santana pulled her arm away from her eyes and appraised her mother. She couldn't tell if she was angry or being sarcastic. Mrs. Lopez's face was stern with authority, but there was a mischievous look in her eyes. Or was it a knowing look? Santana knows they crossed a line, she just wasn't sure how far they went passed it. She looked over at Brittany, who seemed to have found the unicorn to be the most fascinating thing in the room at that time. Brittany sat there, petting the furry stuffed animal in her lap, wondering how much she screwed up and she hadn't been in the Lopez's home more than two hours.

"Come on girls. Kitchen," Mrs. Lopez commanded.

Brittany got up quickly and gave Maribel an apologetic smile as she slinked past her. Santana soon followed with a mix of sulking and embarrassment on her face. As she passed by her mother, Mrs. Lopez caught her arm.

"Watch your language," she reminded Santana and added a smack on her backside. "Kitchen. Go. Now."

Santana hopped forward with the smack and walked quickly enough down the stairs to satisfy Mrs. Lopez. Maribel huffed out a breath, shook her head and made her way to the kitchen.


	8. Chapter 8

Mrs. Lopez found Brittany and Santana sitting quietly at the kitchen island.

"Okay girls, let's get some basic house rules out of the way, shall we?" Maribel began. "We're treating Sundays through Thursdays as school nights for Brittany, as long as Summer School is in session. Curfew is 10pm. Not that there's _any_ reason for you to be out on a school night Brittany. But if you were at Quinn's studying, for example, you're expected home no later than 10. Okay?"

Brittany nodded, "That's fair."

Maribel nodded back, "Good."

"Weekends?" Santana asked.

"Use your judgment," Maribel answered.

Santana looked at Brittany and smirked. Brittany smiled back.

"You're both 18 and will be on your own soon enough. We're letting you use your own judgment on that. However, _abuse_ that privilege with poor judgment, and there _will_ be a curfew on weekends. Are we clear?"

Brittany and Santana both gave their "we'll be good, we promise" enthusiastic nods.

Brittany raised her hand.

Maribel chuckled and called on her, "Yes Brittany?"

"Um…how could we abuse it?"

"Don't you dare wake me up in the middle of the night, or we'll be making some adjustments," Maribel explained.

"You mean _you'll_ be making some adjustments," Santana grumbled under her breath.

Mrs. Lopez ignored her.

"Next; chores. Lord Tubbington is all yours Brittany. And, like Santana you're responsible for keeping your room clean and reasonably tidy."

Brittany raised her hand again.

"Yes Brittany?"

"Define 'reasonably tidy'."

"You should be able to see your bed and the floor. There's a laundry basket in your room for a reason. Use it. You're also responsible for vacuuming it once a week."

"K, I can do that," Brittany complied.

"You and Santana are also responsible for the hall bathroom. Keep it disaster-free and clean it once a week as well," Maribel continued. "That's it for standard chores."

Santana and Brittany both scrunched their noses at bathroom duty, but agreed to the terms.

"Now, as for other house rules," Maribel continued. "Contrary to what you may think, I'm not the sex police."

Santana covered her face and groaned. That was blunt, she thought. It was still uncomfortable hearing her mother say the word 'sex'. She squirmed a little thinking back to the time they had been caught, or rather nearly caught at the beginning of the year. It didn't matter that her mother knew they've been having sex for longer than Santana cared to think. Santana hearing the word 'sex' come out of her mother's mouth made her a little nauseous and uneasy. But, that didn't stop her from feeling a little indignation over her mother's words.

"So the 'Open Door policy' that we've had for the past six months isn't 'policing'?" Santana argued.

Maribel gave her daughter a pointed look. "As parents, it's our job to set basic rules of behavior and politeness in our home. Or is that suddenly news to you?"

Santana dropped her gaze to her hands and pushed on her cuticles.

"Look," Maribel let out a breath of frustration and to steady herself. "You two were minors and in high school. Those were the rules. We're adjusting those rules."

Santana's fingers stilled. Brittany raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

"You _will_ be sleeping in your own rooms, in your _own_ beds."

"But…" Santana protested.

"I don't want to know about it," Maribel explained. "How would you like it if your father and I…"

"Oh my God don't finish that sentence!" Santana interrupted.

Brittany stifled a laugh, while Santana wished brain bleach was real.

"Just because I know about you two, doesn't mean I want to _know_," Mrs. Lopez continued. "Just please, be _respectful_ and _discreet_."

Santana looked over at her mother with a questioning look.

"Yes, I'm treating you like the adults you are…well, sort of are. At least I'm trying. Respectful and discreet. That's all I'm asking, okay?"

Santana nodded slowly, "Thanks Mama…I think?"

Brittany raised her hand.

"You don't have to raise you hand Brittany," Mrs. Lopez smiled. "And to answer the question I know you have, let's keep it simple: not when I'm in the house."

"Got it," Brittany said with finality and a smile. She really wanted this conversation to be over.

Santana sat up a little. "So just let me get this straight. Clean rooms and bathroom, curfews are at 10 and 'don't wake you up', and don't give you a chance to walk in on us."

Mrs. Lopez nodded, her lips tight. This conversation needed to be over for her too.

Santana's mind started mapping out 'Mama-Free House time' in her head and let a small, relieved smile cross her lips. "I'm pretty sure we can handle that, right Britt?" Santana looked to Brittany for agreement.

"Sure," Brittany agreed with a shrug.

"Brittany, my work schedule is on the fridge, with my office number," Mariblel pointed out.

Brittany got up to inspect it. "9-3? Those are kind of weird hours Mrs. L."

"I negotiated them when Santana started school, and I've kept them ever since," Maribel explained.

"That's nice," Brittany smiled and nudged Santana.

"Santana didn't always think so, did you?" Maribel teased, her eyes turned toward her daughter.

Santana smiled and nodded. "You being home every day I got home from school? Totally cramped my style Mama."

Maribel walked over and gave her a hug then hugged Brittany. "That's my job," she cheerfully said.

Santana rolled her eyes, "Is that it? Are we done?"

"One more thing," Maribel stated, pulling a notepad from a kitchen drawer. "Grocery list and budget. We're going shopping tomorrow. First grown-up lesson of the summer," Maribel informed them. "Then you're free the rest of the day. Promise."

Brittany furrowed her brow, "This involves Math, doesn't it."

"Nothing more than addition and subtraction, you'll be fine Brittany," Maribel comforted. "Now let's get this done."

The three of them talked about dinner menus for the week. Took inventory of the refrigerator and pantry, made a list and discussed a weekly food budget. After two hours of this, Santana had enough.

"We're good. We got it. I'm so done with this," she complained.

"Me too, my head hurts," Brittany sighed.

"It'll get easier, I promise," Maribel said. "Okay, that's it. You're free. I release you!"

Santana and Brittany didn't blink. They got up and rushed out of the kitchen and up the stairs to Brittany's new room.

* * *

Brittany fell onto her bed, arms spread wide. Santana closed the door and slide onto the bed next to her.

"Aren't we supposed to keep the door open?" Brittany asked, turning her head toward Santana.

"Those were the old rules. They weren't carried over to the new rules. At least, _I_ didn't hear that, did _you_?" Santana ask, her eyebrows raised and teasing.

"No but I don't want to piss your Mom off when I haven't been here one day," Britt whined.

"She loves you. Look, it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Plus, it makes up for the 'school night' curfew. I mean, you're 18. You can decide when you go to bed and get up for school," Santana complained.

"Actually…I agreed to that time with my Mom before she left. These aren't all your Mom's rules, their mine too. And, well, it's really, really important that I do well in school this summer, so I thought it was good to have some limits, so I concentrated on my work and got enough sleep," Brittany explained.

Santana stared at Brittany blankly for a second then composed herself and smiled. "I knew you'd take school seriously, but, wow. I mean…wow."

"Of course I take it seriously silly," Brittany smiled. "It's about you and me and us. So I'm going to do well in these two classes, and I've got a couple of job opportunities lined up for New York and looked into some dance classes and I checked out a school with work study, but I'm not sure I want to go to school full time, and…"

"Wait, you already have _two_ jobs lined up?" Santana sat up.

Brittany sat up with her. "Well yeah, I talked to Coach and asked for help, and she knew an alum that needed an assistant, and I asked Charlie over at the Humane Society for help and he knows a guy at a no-kill shelter there, so I still have to make some calls, send some emails and stuff, but it looks good."

Santana opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She got an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Was it fear? Jealousy? She signed up for acting and voice lessons, but her job prospects were hazy. She didn't want to rely solely on the money her Mom gave her. That was to help with rent and save it for emergencies.

"Santana? Earth to Santanaaaa," Brittany teased.

"Sorry," Santana snapped out of funk. "That's great Britt. Sounds like you've got some solid plans. So dance school? You're going to blow them away, you're so awesome."

Brittany blushed, "You're biased Santana. I'm all right. But it's something. I'm not sure what I want to do for a career. I know I like dancing and animals, so I'm going to take dance classes and hopefully work at the shelter, and see which one works out…for now. I dunno…"

"Hey, Britt," Santana comforted, cupping Brittany's face with her hand. "You don't have to know what you want to do for the rest of your life. The fact that you have a couple ideas is great."

"Yeah?"

Santana nodded with a smile, "Definitely."

"And you? You told me about your classes. What about a job?"

"Work in progress," Santana replied with a forced smile.

Brittany raised her eyebrows, searching for further information. Santana ignored her silent ask.

"Well, let me know if you want any help with that," Brittany replied.

Santana's phone buzzed inside her pants pocket.

"Hello?"

"Please save me from my mother."

"Door's open Q."

Santana hung up the phone and looked over at Brittany.

"What did Quinn want?"

"Sanctuary. Apparently Judy is driving her nuts," Santana chuckled. "Come on. Let's go warn Mama."


	9. Chapter 9

Brittany and Santana found Mrs. Lopez kneeling in the grass, tending to a tomato plant in a large barrel container near the back patio.

"Quinn's coming over," Santana announced.

Maribel looked up at her and dipped her sunglasses down her nose. "Did Judy finally snap?"

"Sounds like it," Santana replied. "How would you know?"

"Ran into her at Target last weekend. She's quite…involved…in getting Quinn ready for college," Maribel explained with a smile.

"That's a really nice way of putting Judy's lost her damn mind," Santana smirked.

"It's because I think before I speak and I try not to judge too much. You should try it sometime," Maribel suggested.

"I do think before I speak, " Santana argued.

"Creative insults don't count sweetie," Maribel retorted. "Why don't you get some lunch ready for all of us and check on that cat. He's far too quiet for my liking."

Brittany and Santana made a plate of sandwiches and checked in on Lord Tubbington. They found him asleep in his new cat bed with the toy mouse tucked under his paw.

"Oh, I forgot his food in the car," Brittany said, closing the laundry room door and look for her keys.

"You can get it later, Britt. There's a bag of his food at the bottom of the pantry," Santana said, opening in the door and showing her.

Brittany turned, faced Santana, wrapped her arms around her next, and pulled her in for a warm, soft, kiss.

"Mmmm, so I should feed your cat more often?" Santana teased, as they pulled apart.

"You're so thoughtful," Brittany smiled, ignoring Santana's comment.

"I can be really, really thoughtful," Santana smirked and drew Brittany in for another kiss.

"Love the matinee ladies," Quinn complimented. "What do you have planned for the evening show," she teased.

"Ever think of knocking Fabray?" Santana complained as she pulled away from Brittany's embrace. Brittany held onto Santana and kept an arm around her waist.

"You said the door was open, so I opened it!" Quinn dismissed her dropping her purse on the couch and closing the front door. "Not my fault you're making out in the middle of the room," Quinn smirked.

"We made sandwiches," Brittany smiled. "You hungry?"

"Starving actually," Quinn admitted.

Santana turned to lead them into the kitchen, when Brittany slapped her ass.

Santana jumped, but didn't turn around. Brittany could see her ears turn red. Quinn grinned over at Brittany and gave her a high five. Santana grabbed a sandwich and turned to them. She took a bite and stared as she chewed it.

"That…" Santana swallowed "…was inappropriate high five-ing Quinn. So screw you. And Brittany, please don't spank me in public," she tried to be stern, but it came out more whiney.

"Quinn's not public Santana. We're in our house, so that rule doesn't count," Brittany argued. "And that wasn't a spank, it was a playful slap. Spankings only for special occ…"

Quinn slapped her hand over Brittany's mouth as Santana's eyes bulged.

"TMI Britt. Really, _really_ TMI," Quinn explained, her hand still over Brittany's mouth. Brittany nodded and Quinn pulled her hand away.

Santana looked at her girlfriend in disbelief, but didn't say anything. Santana opened the refrigerator door to get a drink, and Brittany threw a wink and a smirk at Quinn when Santana wasn't looking. Brittany loved teaming up with Quinn to pick on Santana. It was one of her favorite parts of being friends with Quinn.

"So Santana, where's your Mom?" Quinn asked.

"Outside gardening," Santana replied, sipping her drink.

"She eat yet?"

Santana shrugged.

Quinn rolled her eyes and shook her head, grabbed a plate and a sandwich and walked straight out the back door. Santana followed her, and kicked herself for not bringing her mother lunch, now that Quinn is showing off her "good daughter" routine. Their battle of "one upping" each other never ended, and Santana never wanted it to. Even it it's been reduced to placating parents and teasing each other.

"I didn't know you gardened," Quinn asked Mrs. Lopez as she leaned down to deliver Maribel's lunch. "New hobby?"

"Nice to see you Quinn. You look good," Maribel smiled and took the sandwich. "I took it up last summer. It's cheaper than therapy, and you get tomatoes."

"You think you need therapy?" Quinn asked.

"You've met my daughter, haven't you?" Maribel laughed and winked over at Santana.

"What is this, 'pick on Santana day? No me gusta," she huffed.

"Awww, come here honey, I'll make it all better," Brittany cooed as she wrapped her arms around Santana's waist and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

Santana reciprocated, then squirmed away. "You're just as guilty," she admonished. "You're in the dog house as far as I'm concerned."

"That'll last, what, an hour, tops?" Maribel asked Quinn.

"I give it five minutes," Quinn smirked.

Santana threw up her hands in surrender. "What is it with you guys today?" Santana complained.

Brittany looked over at her and pouted. Santana's face softened.

"Never mind, she's out of the doghouse," Quinn stated and strolled over to sit in a lawn chair.

Santana grimaced and stuck her tongue out at Quinn. Quinn quickly returned the childish insult and giggled.

Brittany, Santana and Quinn spent the afternoon sunning themselves in the back yard. They traded Cosmo, Glamour and Elle magazines and gossip about fellow Glee club members. Brittany filled Quinn in on her grandmother, and her parents' trip to New Mexico. They talked a little about summer school. Quinn and Brittany made plans to meet up Monday afternoon to review Chemistry before classes started in a week. Santana and Brittany peppered Quinn with questions about Yale and how her physical therapy was progressing.

Quinn looked at her watch. "Crap, I've got to get going," she sighed.

""Why? We're ordering take-out tonight. Stay," Santana suggested.

"Can't. Mom's trying to spend every minute with me before I go to Yale. Home for dinner," Quinn grumbled.

"How about we come over tomorrow?" Brittany asked. "That way, your Mom gets you at home, but we're there to keep her off your back."

"Genius Britt," Santana praised.

"You girls are the best," Quinn grinned. "Yes. After lunch?"

"We'll be there," Santana smiled.

/

After dinner, Brittany let Lord Tubbington out of the laundry room and he immediately found the food dish in the kitchen

"He stays in the kitchen and laundry room tonight, Brittany," Maribel warned. "And every night. He can come out when we're home, but that's it. That leather sofa is not about to have claw marks in it."

"Got it Mrs. L," Brittany said with a serious salute.

Brittany and Santana went upstairs to Santana's room and Mrs. Lopez collapsed on the couch for an evening of TV.

Santana and Brittany settled on Santana's bed and snuggled up with her laptop. They spent a couple hours commenting on their friends' Facebook pages, listening to music and watching YouTube videos. After the 20th LOLCat video, Santana needed a break. She put Wall-E into the DVD player on her laptop, and they began to watch. Halfway through the movie, they heard a knock at the door.

Santana expected the door to open quickly after the knock, but there was nothing.

"That's new," Santana whispered. "Come in!" she called.

Mrs. Lopez opened the door slowly and poked her head in. She saw Brittany curled up to Santana and the glow of the laptop illuminating their faces.

"I'm headed to bed," she informed them. "Don't forget the rules…"

"Were meant to be broken?" Santana smirked.

Brittany gave Santana a nudge.

"Don't worry Mama," Santana answered sincerely.

"Don't forget; grocery store tomorrow. Goodnight girls," Maribel smiled and closed the door again.

Brittany and Santana resumed watching the movie. When Wall-E and Eve started dancing in the space, Brittany tightened her grip around Santana's waist and kissed her neck. "Dance with me," she whispered.

Santana closed her eyes and closed her laptop and a smile crept across her lips.

She got up and pulled Brittany with her. She let go of Brittany just to turn on her iPod dock and scrolled to find a song. As "Come Away with Me" crooned out of the speakers, Brittany drew Santana to her and they began slow dancing in Santana's bedroom.

Brittany drew light circles with her fingers on Santana's back, and Santana sank in to her.

"Thank you," Brittany whispered in her ear.

"I'd do anything for you, you know that," Santana replied, pulling just far enough away to look into Brittany's eyes.

Brittany gave a tight-lipped smile, and sighed. "You and your family letting me stay here…like this…it's just…"

Santana stopped her with a gentle kiss.

""it's nothing," Santana cooed, and kissed her again.

"It's everything," Brittany said against Santana's lips and returned to kissing her.

They continued to sway, and kiss and Santana's hands moved slowly up Brittany's sides to the underside of her breasts.

"Saaaannnn," Brittany warned, between kisses.

"This isn't sex," Santana reasoned as her hands slid over Brittany's breasts and lightly squeezed.

Brittany moaned into Santana's mouth and deepened the kiss. Her hands slid into Santana's back pockets and pulled her into her. Santana slid a thigh in between Brittany's legs and pressed into her.

"It's gonna be really soon," Brittany gasped into Santana's ear, kissing down the side of her neck and sucking on her pulse point.

"You want me to stop," Santana teased as she nudged her thigh into Brittany.

"God no," Brittany replied, and kissed Santana hard.

The iPod changed songs to Poe's "Fingertips". Brittany and Santana were fully clothed and their hips were fully grinding into each other. Aside from the music, all they could hear was their own breaths and gasps.

"Your Mom…" Brittany breathed.

"Don't bring her into this Britt," Santana scolded as she pulled at Brittany's bra under her shirt.

"But…"

"No. It's not sex if we keep our clothes on," Santana reasoned.

"It is if one of us comes," Brittany argued, trying to keep a clear mind with Santana's hand gripping her ass and grabbing her breast. "And I'm halfway there."

"Fuck," Santana

"Yes please, but not here," Brittany pulled away with a smirk. "Come on."

Brittany took Santana's hand and led her quietly out of the bedroom, down the stairs and to the back door.

"Wait, are we going to your house? We need keys, and shoes, and…"

"I can't wait that long, can you?" Brittany whispered as she led Santana out onto the back patio.

Brittany dragged Santana to the patio lounge chair and pulled her on top of her.

"Genius Britt," Santana praised as she settled herself between Brittany's legs.

"Less talking more touching," Brittany almost growled. She unbuttoned her own shorts, grabbed Santana's hand and shoved it down her pants.

Santana grinned as she kissed Brittany and began to stroke her up and down.

Brittany unbuttoned Santana's shorts and slid her hand into Santana's underwear.

Santana almost immediately lost her concentration and rhythm.

Brittany whined, mostly because Santana's hand got sloppy, but also because she couldn't reciprocate for Santana that well either. Her free hand gripped Santana's hip and pulled Santana tighter against her. Grinding with the help of each other's hands would do just fine. She was too wet and turned on to stop and take turns or take their time. Santana got the hint and pressed her face into the crook of Brittany's neck. Brittany's hot breath and stifled moans in Santana's ear spurred her on more, grinding faster and harder. It took Brittany less than a minute to let out a broken cry into Santana's ear and stiffen underneath her. Santana paused, but only for a few moments, because she was so close to coming herself. She resumed thrusting on Brittany's hand, as Brittany flinched through her aftershocks. Brittany felt the pinch of Santana biting down on her shoulder as Santana jerked and let out a high-pitched squeak when she came just seconds later.

Brittany slipped her hand out of Santana's pants and winced at her stiff arm and her wrist that was rubbed red from Santana's zipper. She didn't care. She was too sated and exhausted; still buzzing from her orgasm. Santana watched from the corner of her eye, catching her breath, as Brittany sucked her fingers into her mouth, cleaning them off and letting out a hum as she tasted her. Santana let out her own grateful hum, watching her girlfriend. She sat up just enough to mirror Brittany's actions and put on a little teasing show. Santana took her time licking off her fingers as Brittany watched. Brittany gently pulled Santana's hand away and pulled her down into slow deep kiss and swallowed the taste of each other.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Two updates in two days! What is this dark magic? Shout out DMG and Vero! Thank you all for reading and reviewing and alerting and favorite-ing. Y' all rock. Glad you love the Santana teasing. It shall continue, don't you worry! Don't forget, you are all glorious gay sharks and unicorns and Mama Lopez knows all, loves you and just wants you to be happy.

* * *

The next morning, Maribel ran into Brittany leaving her room. As Brittany rubbed her sleepy eyes walking to the bathroom, Maribel peeked behind her to see an empty bed. Mrs. Lopez let out a little relieved sigh.

"Good morning Brittany," she smiled

"Mornin' Mrs. L," Brittany sleepily smiled in return. "Sleep well?"

"Like a rock," Maribel replied.

Her eyes then dropped to the red teeth marks that formed the center of a faint bruise on Brittany's shoulder. Brittany absentmindedly scratched it over the strap of her sleep tank top and winced.

Maribel pursed her lips. "I'm pretty sure I was in the house last night."

"I'm pretty sure we weren't," Brittany replied.

She paused and felt her face redden. Even half asleep, Brittany realized that wasn't as deferential as she liked to be with Mrs. Lopez.

"Look who's full of sass this morning. Picking up Santana's bad habits?" Maribel lightly scolded.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," Brittany apologized and stared at her painted toenails.

Mrs. Lopez patted Brittany's cheek. "I'll make some coffee. After that you should be back to the Brittany I know and love, right?"

Brittany nodded. Maribel shook her head and went to the kitchen.

Brittany went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. She looked into the mirror and saw the teeth marks Santana left on her from the night before.

She rolled her eyes and huffed. Then Brittany thought back to how she got the mark and smirked. Brittany smoothed her hair, shrugged and headed toward Santana's bedroom.

Brittany knocked lightly and listened. She could hear Santana's snoring from behind the closed door. Another smile crossed her lips, "So sexy," she said to herself with a laugh.

Brittany found Mrs. Lopez in the kitchen pouring the fresh coffee. Lord Tubbington wove in and out of Brittany's legs and meowed.

"Mornin' Tubbs," Brittany said cheerfully.

Maribel handed Brittany a mug of coffee. "Thanks Mrs. L."

"You're welcome Brittany. Is Santana coming down?"

"I didn't wake her. She's busy trying to wake the neighbors with her snoring," Brittany replied.

Maribel laughed. "She gets that from her father. He's a champion snorer."

Brittany chuckled with Mrs. Lopez and took a big gulp of her coffee.

"Hey, I'm sorry about being short with you earlier. I wasn't really awake and…"

"No, no, really Brittany it's fine. I shouldn't have greeted you with a good morning followed immediately by an accusation. Not my finest moment. So I think it's time we add to the rules list," Maribel suggested.

Brittany frowned.

"No you'll like this one. New rule. Anything said before we've had our first cup of coffee doesn't count. Okay?" Mrs. Lopez looked to Brittany for agreement.

Brittany nodded and gave Maribel a quick hug, "So we're good?" Brittany asked.

Maribel gave her a light squeeze back, "We're good." Mrs. Lopez took a step back. "So are you not covering that up to bother me or Santana when she gets up?"

"Does it bother you?" Brittany asked, her hand covering the mark.

"Well, no and yes. But I'll get over it," Maribel admitted.

"I can put a different shirt on," Brittany suggested, gesturing to the upstairs.

"She going to kill you if you don't. And yes, I'd prefer it as well," Maribel warned, shaking her head with a smile.

Brittany returned from upstairs wearing a t-shirt. Mrs. Lopez greeted her with a smile.

"Thank you Brittany."

"You're welcome," Brittany replied with a shy grin. "Sorry, again. I guess I forget sometimes that just because I don't care what people think, doesn't mean it's always a good thing," Brittany frowned.

"No it's a good thing that you have such high self-esteem, and self-confidence. You just live your life Brittany, and that's wonderful. Don't ever lose that. However, it's a fine line about not caring what people think, and being discreet," Mrs. Lopez explained.

"This is part of that respect and discreet thing, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's part of the package. Okay?"

Yes ma'am," Brittany smiled.

Mrs. Lopez tousled Brittany's hair, "Don't ma'am me young lady, or no cinnamon rolls for you!"

Brittany's eyes brightened. "Can I help?"

"Nope. You can do them yourself. Here's the package. Here's the directions. Here's the cookie sheet, and here's how you set the oven."

Maribel spent the next 10 minutes showing Brittany the most basics of baking. It didn't get much simpler than ready to bake cinnamon rolls.

Apparently the aroma of cinnamon rolls can break through even the deepest of sleepers or the loudest of snorers. Santana stumbled her way down the stairs, her hair in a messy bun and her eyes squinting in the kitchen light.

"It's early for cooking lessons," Santana commented as she sipped the coffee Brittany placed in front of her.

"Kind of. But it just turned out that way," Brittany shrugged.

"How long have you been up?" Santana eyed both of them.

"About an hour," Maribel said, looking at the wall clock. "We've had a lovely time talking, haven't we Brittany?"

"Absolutely," Brittany grinned.

Santana sipped her coffee and stifled the slightest bit of worry that bubbled up from the comment.

"Sleep well?" Brittany asked with a sly wink

Santana smirked. "Yeah. Like a rock."

"More like a lumberjack. You trying to out snore your father?" Maribel asked.

"I don't snore!" Santana protested.

Brittany and Maribel laughed out loud, "Ok honey, whatever," Birttany rubbed the back of Santana's head.

Santana lightly swatted her hand away.

"When's grocery shopping happening, because Britts and me are going to Quinn's after lunch."

"Before lunch then," Maribel answered. "Let's say 10."

* * *

Santana emerged from the bathroom in just a towel after her shower. Brittany opened her bedroom door just in time to get an eye full of Santana's towel-clad backside and bare shoulders. She bit her lip and grinned at the sight, as she made her way to the bathroom for her own shower.

Mrs. Lopez came out of her bedroom, dressed and ready to go to the store. She saw her daughter in the hallway rake her eyes over the back of Brittany's barely covered body, as Brittany entered her own room and closed the door to get changed. Maribel smacked the back of Santana's head and kept walking past her.

"Hey! What was that for?" Santana complained, rubbing her head.

"You'd think after last night, you would've gotten that out of your system for a while," Maribel commented, not turning around and walking down the stairs.

"It's never out of…my…wait, what?" Santana said, ending with a whispered question to herself. She went back to the bathroom and checked herself in the mirror. No marks or scratches were in view. Santana decided her mother was none the wiser and was just teasing.

The grocery store was quiet on Sunday morning. Most people were at church. Maribel gave the girls the list and the cash and had them lead her through the grocery store. Mrs. Lopez only interjected occasionally, to offer advice or answer a question. She taught them how to pick a ripe pineapple, to check unit prices, and how to spot a promotion that looks better than it actually is. Santana controlled the spending. She added everything up on her phone's calculator. Brittany spent more time trying to pick out just the right cantaloupe. There was only one argument when they had money left over, on whether to spend it on the magazine Santana wanted or the candy Brittany wanted.

"You two work really well together," Mrs. Lopez praised, as they finished putting the groceries away in the kitchen. Santana was better at spotting what they needed. Brittany was better at finding the good deals.

"We do alright," Santana shrugged and smiled at Brittany.

"What do you have planned for Quinn's this afternoon," Maribel asked.

"Her pool's open, so I'm thinking about swimming, laying out and goofing off," Brittany replied.

"Me too. My tan is not where it needs to be," Santana added.

"Stand next to me, you'll feel a lot better about your tan," Brittany teased, putting her leg next to Santana's.

Brittany and Santana changed into their bikinis. Brittany had a t-shirt and khaki shorts on over it. Santana had on a tank top and her favorite pair of ripped jean shorts.

"Sunscreen!" Maribel called to them as they walked out the front door.

"Got it!" Brittany called back as they shut the door.

* * *

"Hi girls," Mrs. Fabray beamed as she greeted Santana and Brittany at the door.

"Hi Mrs. Fabray," Brittany replied. "You look nice."

"Thank you Brittany. Haven't gotten out of my church clothes yet."

"Quinn around?" Santana asked, eyeing the room.

"She's upstairs in her room. Go on up girls," Mrs. Fabray replied.

Santana walked up to Quinn's bedroom door and saw it was slightly ajar, so she pushed it open.

"Hay Fabray! Let's get our swimmin' on!" Santana greeted.

Quinn quickly finished pulling down her t-shirt, covering her stomach.

"Jeez Santana. Ever think of knocking. You're lucky I was finishing getting dressed," Quinn huffed.

Santana flopped down on Quinn's bed. "Quinn, I've seen you naked, like, a billion times," said as Santana rolled her eyes. "What's got you all shy all of a sudden? Better get rid of that modesty quick. You're going to have a roommate and from what I hear, common showers in that dorm of yours at Yale."

"Respecting my privacy and a little common courtesy shouldn't be too much to ask Santana," Quinn explained.

"Whatever. Come on Q. Get your bathing suit on. It's hot out and you've got a pool with my name on it," Santana said getting up.

Quinn just stood there next to Brittany worrying her lip between her teeth.

"Okay, okay, we'll leave and let you get changed on your own," Santana smiled and pulled Brittany out of the room.

Santana and Brittany went out to the back yard and set up three lounge chairs, a stack of magazines and Mrs. Fabray was kind enough to set out a tray of ice tea and glasses.

Santana and Brittany stripped off their shorts and shirts and relaxed on the lounge chairs.

"Can you do my back?" Brittany asked, grabbing the bottle of sunscreen.

Santana smiled, "Sure thing Britt." Santana started rubbing lotion on Brittany's back. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and saw the bite mark from the night before.

"Holy shit Britt. Did I do that?" Santana asked, lightly brushing her fingers over it.

"Yep!" Brittany nodded and grinned.

"Jesus. I'm sorry. Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore. And don't be sorry," Brittany said, turning to her. "It a wonderful reminder of how I got it."

Santana smiled, a little embarrassed and shook her head. "Good thing you wore a t-shirt to bed, or my mom would be all up our asses about it."

"I didn't wear my t-shirt. I wore a tank top. I didn't know I had it until I ran into your mom this morning on my way to the bathroom," Brittany shrugged.

"Wait, Mama saw this? She knows? She…what?" Santana was flabbergasted and put her head in her hands. Now she understood her mother's comment on in the hallway earlier. "She teased me about it. _Teased_ me," Santana groaned.

Brittany recounted her morning with Mrs. Lopez to Santana. "Really San, she's okay with us and sex. She just doesn't want the reminder. So I covered up. I was being respectful and discreet," Brittany said proudly. "Just like she asked."

"So we're good," Santana confirmed.

"Totally," Brittany grinned.

Quinn watched from the back door as Santana rubbed sunscreen over Brittany's back and shoulders. Quinn pulled at her t-shirt covering her torso. Her bikini bottoms barely showed underneath. She took a breath and joined her friends on the lounge chairs.

"Um, Quinn? What's with the shirt? It's 90 degrees out and we're lying out. " Brittany asked.

"I don't want to get too burned," Quinn answered dismissively.

Santana rocked the sunscreen bottle back and forth in her hand. "Hello? That's why God invented sun block."

"No thanks," Quinn said, tight-lipped and opened a magazine.

"You didn't get another embarrassing tattoo did you, because I thought you got Ryan Seacrest lasered off," Brittany teased.

"I'll be mad if you got a tattoo without me. You promised me you'd let me come when you got another one," Santana warned.

"Ryan has been banished by lasers, yes. And no I don't have another one. Just drop it."

"You're gonna get some fucked up tan lines Quinn. Farmer tan doesn't really work on you," Santana remarked.

Brittany silently turned to Santana and wiggled her fingers, grinning at her happy idea to cheer Quinn up. Santana was game. They quickly pounced on Quinn, Brittany took the right side and Santana the left, pinning Quinn down and tickling her mercilessly. Quinn squealed and tried to get away, but to no avail. She yelled "Stop!" in between fits of giggles and labored breaths. Santana's hand snaked around the back of Quinn's left side and stopped. She now knew what Quinn was hiding. Santana could feel the smooth, raised lines of Quinn's scars from her car accident. Quinn tried to push Santana's hand away, but Santana held it firm and gave Quinn a sympathetic look. Brittany stopped tickling once she felt Quinn and Santana still.

'"What?" Brittany asked, a little breathless from the fun.

Santana gently pushed Quinn on her side and lifted her shirt to see the scars that lined her lower left back. Santana ran her hand gently over the scars. It was loving and sympathetic and gentle and comforting. All things that Quinn knew were in Santana, but rarely actually experienced first hand. Quinn's eyes stung with a few tears of embarrassment and vulnerability. Brittany held Quinn's hand and with her free hand, joined Santana's rubbing Quinn's back.

"Why are you ashamed of them?" Santana asked just above a whisper.

"They're gross. They're ugly," Quinn sighed.

"No they're not," Brittany smiled. "They kind of look like a tree."

"Or flames. Badass Quinn," Santana teased.

Quinn let out a weak chuckled. "Don't try to make them out better than they are. You don't have to look at them everyday. They're awful," Quinn pouted.

"They're not Quinn," Santana consoled. "They're there to remind you; you lived. And I doubt any of us can tell you how really glad we are that you did. You should wear them as a badge of honor. Not even a goddamned truck can stop you,"

Quinn closed her eyes and smiled at the sentiment.

"Flames huh?" Quinn asked

"Now that would be a great tattoo," Santana suggested.

"I think the tree would be nicer. There's a Tree of Life, isn't there?"

"Britt, that's sweet, but I think a flaming Phoenix rising out of the ashes would be awesome," Santana claimed.

"Have you been hanging out with Sam?" Quinn asked. "That sounds like his comic books."

"What? Nah, it's from that X-Men movie. Famke Janssen is hot," Santana grinned.

"He wants to be her lesbro, but she's playing hard to get," Brittany confided.

Santana smacked Brittany on the arm.

"Watch it Santana, or you'll leave another mark on Britt, and I think that shoulder one says enough," Quinn teased.

Brittany fist-bumped Quinn as Santana gave Quinn a playful slap on the arm.

"Come on. Take the shirt off, we'll put some extra sunscreen on those badass mementos, and then, we go swimming," Santana said, pulling at Quinn's shirt.

Mrs. Fabray watched them from an upstairs window and smiled. She picked up her cell phone and called Maribel Lopez.

Brittany, Quinn and Santana spent the afternoon playing in the swimming pool and they finished lying on their lounge chairs. Well, Santana and Quinn were lying on their chairs. Brittany couldn't let the "Tree of Life" idea go. Brittany kept herself busy drawing a tree along the outlines of Quinn's scars with a felt marker, and Quinn didn't have the heart to tell her no.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hello readers! You are all fabulous! Love you comments and private messages and quiet alerting and favorite-ing. A big thank you!

* * *

Mrs. Lopez got ready for work in the quiet of the early morning. She stopped at Santana's door on her way down the hall, and paused to listen to her snore. Maribel then poked her head in Brittany's ajar door across from Santana's and smiled. Brittany was splayed out on her stomach, hands above her head, her hair and the bedding was everywhere. She was greeted in the kitchen by Lord Tubbington, meowing at his empty food dish. She filled his bowls, then poured her coffee and made breakfast. Maribel enjoyed the silence of the morning, interrupted occasionally by the crunching of Lord Tubbington and his cat food.

Brittany awoke to the sound of the front door shutting. Mrs. Lopez was gone for the day. Brittany smiled to herself, then looked at the clock.

"Shit," she slid out of bed and quickly put on her old jeans, a faded Cheerios t-shirt and her old running sneakers. She took the stairs, two at a time, and grabbed a cup of coffee from Maribel's leftover pot. She snatched her keys off the hook near the front door and jogged to her car, putting her hair in a sloppy ponytail along the way.

About an hour later, Santana stirred and looked at the clock through sleepy eyes. It was Monday morning, her mother was gone and she had Brittany all to herself. She got up and walked across the hall to Brittany's room, only to find a very messy and very empty bed. Santana frowned. She checked the bathroom and found that empty. She walked downstairs and nearly tripped over Lord Tubbington, who wound his way through her legs as a morning greeting.

"Jesus Tubbs!" Santana scolded him as she steadied herself on the counter. "You're going to kill me one of these days."

Santana went room to room, looking for Brittany, but she soon realized it was just she and the cat this morning. Santana returned to the kitchen and made herself coffee and breakfast. As Santana slowly woke up, she ran all the possibilities of where Brittany was through her mind. She came up blank. Santana sighed and resigned herself to get dressed and figure out what to do with her day. Santana picked up her laptop and retuned to her job search. 20 emails, 10 phone calls and one stubbed toe later, Santana gave up and sank into the living room couch. She flipped between reality shows and talk shows, but not even Jerry Springer guests could make her feel better about herself or her New York City employment prospects.

Brittany opened the front door of the Lopez home and saw Santana sitting on the couch with and ice pack wrapped around her propped up foot.

"What happened?" Brittany asked, rushing to Santana's side.

"I may or may not have kicked my desk in job search frustration," Santana admitted with a weak smile. "It's totally my fault, so…oh my god Britt, you stink!" Santana covered her nose and recoiled from Brittany's side.

"You know I volunteer at the Humane Society twice a week," Brittany pouted at Santana's reaction. "I told you I was doing it in the mornings this week, before Summer School started, since I won't be able to do it once school starts."

Santana thought for a moment. Yes, there was a hazy memory of Brittany detailing her schedule plans last month. She thinks. Maybe. Probably.

"I'm sorry Britt," Santana said, moving her hand from her nose. "I forgot." Santana added an apologetic smile. "What were you doing today? I mean, you smell like a combination of wet dog, litter boxes and sour milk," Santana tried to hide her grimace.

"Let see," Brittany looked up at the ceiling, gathering her thoughts. "I scooped all the litter boxes, fed all the cats, got the dogs out of their cages to the outdoor runs, gave two dogs a bath and fed four kittens formula, because they don't have a mama cat to take care of them."

"Wow B. You did all that in what…three hours?" Santana was impressed.

Brittany nodded with a proud smile. "But now I really do have to take a shower, because you're right, I stink," Brittany said, giving Santana a kiss on the nose and getting up from the couch.

Brittany went into the laundry room and stripped off her clothes and put them in the washer and started the machine. Santana was removing the ice pack from her foot when she saw Brittany walk out of the laundry room and up the stairs completely naked. Santana sat, ice pack dripping in her hand, as she watched Brittany walk through the house. She never got tired of seeing her girlfriend nude, but now she had a new appreciation for it. There was something about how casually Brittany just walked through the kitchen, living room and up the stairs, completely ignoring her that Santana found surprisingly sexy.

"I can't wait to have our own apartment," Santana thought. She also hoped it would have stairs, because watching Brittany walk up them without a stitch of clothing on, was Santana's new favorite thing.

Brittany had just applied shampoo to her wet hair when she heard the bathroom door open and close. She felt Santana step in the shower behind her and wrap her arms around her waist.

"I'm surprised it took you this long to join me," Brittany teased.

"What? I have some restraint," Santana smirked. "Actually, I was just imagining all the ways you can be naked in our own apartment in New York."

Brittany chuckled, then sighed relief as Santana took over washing Brittany's hair.

Brittany sat on her bed, towel-dried, warm, clean and still very naked. Santana soon followed and pushed her back, so they could both lie down on the bed. Santana started kissing Brittany's neck and running her hand over Brittany's hip and side.

"So, tell me about the job search," Brittany asked, as she stopped Santana's hand from reaching her breast.

"You have _got _to be kidding me Britt," Santana scolded. "You're naked. I'm naked. We have the house to ourselves. You are _not_ asking me about my job search."

"Yes I am," Brittany said, sitting up and pulling Santana into her chest. "Talk to me, or no sweet lady anything for you."

"Brittany!" Santana was shocked. "That's not fair!" Santana sat up and put some space between them.

"So is you not talking to me," Brittany explained.

Santana huffed, and grumbled and bit her bottom lip in thought.

"Fine. I don't have a job in New York yet," Santana confessed, her arms crossed in defiance and disappointment. "They all said they're only hiring local. So I don't have any job opportunities until I get there, so I have to job search all over again, and I'm trying to not tap into the money Mama gave me, unless it's rent, you know?"

Brittany squeezed her hand in sympathy and understanding.

"And I haven't found an apartment yet. They're all so damn expensive, and the ones that are close to our price range are way out in bum fuck Staten Island or New Jersey," Santana continued. "And I promised your Mom I'd take care of you and listen to you and be there for you and I want everything to be perfect and set for you, because you're working really hard to get there. And you already have two jobs lined up, so you _have_ to have a place to live, and…"

Brittany cut her off with a kiss and pulled Santana tight into her body.

"Hey, relax, okay? Breathe. We're going to work it out. But you have to stop trying to do everything yourself. Rachel has been apartment hunting with her Dads, so maybe we can talk to her about neighborhoods and price ranges, hmmm?" Brittany looked to meet Santana's gaze and gauge her reaction.

"Then we'll talk to Mr. Shue and find out where April Rhodes is. She was successful on Broadway, so maybe she knows of some part-time jobs in theater or music or…_something_ performance related? Okay?"

Santana smiled at the thought of April Rhodes, then pursed her lips at the thought of asking Rachel Berry for help.

"Santana, if you want this as much as I do - you and me and New York City - you're going to have to ask for help," Brittany reasoned.

"It's not the asking for help part," Santana replied. "It's admitting that I don't know what I'm doing," Santana confessed, rubbing her thumbs in to her palms.

Brittany smoothed her hands down Santana's damp hair and over her arms.

"You're 18 and moving to New York City to pursue your dreams. You've signed up for classes, you even did research for _me_, and you've been job and apartment hunting. Santana, you know what you're doing; you're just not getting the results you want. That's why you need help."

Santana let a small smile play on her lips and she nodded with understanding.

Brittany pulled Santana into her and spooned her from behind. Brittany kissed the back of Santana's neck, though her hair.

"I could stay like this forever," Santana sighed, pressing herself back into Brittany even more.

"Me too, but Quinn's coming over in a half hour to start reviewing Chemistry."

"It's weird," Santana whispered. "But in a good way."

"Quinn coming over?" Brittany asked, rubbing her thumb over Santana's stomach.

"No, this. I mean, I don't think we've ever cuddled up naked without having sex first, and it's…"

"Nice," Brittany whispered, finishing Santana's thought. "It's comforting and sweet and…"

"Just right," Santana replied, pulling Brittany's arms around her tighter.

"Just right," Brittany smiled.

* * *

Brittany was laying out her notebook and pencils on the kitchen island when Quinn rang the doorbell.

"I'll get it Britt!" Santana called as she walked quickly to the door. Santana opened it and pushed Quinn back as she tried to step into the house. Santana shut the door behind her so she and Quinn could talk privately.

"Santana," Quinn rolled her eyes.

"I just want to talk to you about tutoring Britt. You need to be patient with her, and encourage her and not talk down to her, but don't come off as condescending, because she's smart, but not like you, so you need to give her real life examples, and…"

"Stop. Just stop," Quinn held up her hand to Santana's face. Santana grimaced.

"Who helped _both_ of you pass Algebra _and_ Geometry?" Quinn folded her arms waiting for an answer.

Santana huffed and rolled her eyes. "You," she mumbled.

"Who?"

"Okay, you did," Santana admitted.

"And didn't I do all the things you just rambled on about like you have diarrhea of the mouth?"

Santana frowned at the diarrhea comment, pursed her lips, and nodded. She hated it when Quinn was right, which was often lately.

"Then let me in the house so I can start reviewing with Britt. And _no_ interruptions! I don't want you hovering," Quinn demanded. She arched her eyebrow, waiting for Santana to relent.

Santana simply opened the door and waved Quinn in.

"Thank you," Quinn smiled so sweetly it gave Santana a toothache as she clenched her jaw.

"Don't be so smug," Santana whispered.

"Don't be so wrong," Quinn whispered back.

Brittany greeted Quinn with a hug and they quickly got down to the business of reviewing all the chemistry Brittany remembered. Since Santana was banished from the kitchen, she continued reading _MacBeth_. Santana was determined that Brittany received a better grade in English Literature than she does in Chemistry. "Let's see how smug you are then," Santana thought.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Special shout out Vero! All the rest of you fill my little writer heart with glitter and rainbows. Thank you! Puppies and kittens for everyone!

* * *

Mrs. Lopez walked in the door and saw Quinn and Brittany in the kitchen talking and smiling.

"How was your day Mama?" Santana asked from her half-hidden corner of the couch.

"Oh, I didn't see you there! It was good, thank you," Maribel smiled. "Are you still reading _MacBeth_?"

"Yeah. Britt and me are reviewing it after dinner. Well, we're going to start reviewing it. It's the first book on her syllabus for summer school."

Mrs. Lopez nodded, and looked down at Santana's bare feet and her bruised toe. "What did you do?"

"Didn't find a job in New York yet. I was a little…frustrated," Santana admitted with an embarrassed smile.

"So you took it out on your toe?" Maribel arched an eyebrow, judging Santana for her outburst.

"I took it out on my desk actually," Santana admitted.

Maribel waved her hand dismissively at Santana and walked into the kitchen. She wondered if Santana would ever not kick furniture. She wasn't getting in fights anymore, so that eased Maribel's mind.

Quinn and Brittany were talking over a small bowl of ice cubes and the kettle on the stove was starting to steam. Quinn was reviewing basic chemistry concepts to Brittany and making them as real life as possible. Maribel smiled at them and said hello.

"You staying for dinner Quinn?" Maribel asked.

"Thanks, but I can't Mrs. L. Mom wants me home for dinner as often as possible," Quinn explained with a hint of annoyance.

"Too bad. The girls are cooking tonight."

"We are?" Brittany asked with not so hidden worry.

"Every night this week, remember? We didn't do all that grocery shopping and meal planning for nothing," Mrs. Lopez explained. "Don't worry Brittany, I'll be here helping."

Quinn wrapped up the review with Brittany and they made a plan for going over the concepts with which Brittany struggled. Quinn said her good byes to Maribel and Brittany. She walked passed Santana and threw a balled up piece of notebook paper that bounced off Santana's head.

"Bite me Fabray."

"I'm pretty sure you're the biter Santana," Quinn replied casually, opening the front door.

"See you tomorrow Q!" Santana called, not letting Quinn have the satisfaction of a reaction.

"See you girls tomorrow," Quinn replied as she shut the door.

Brittany cleaned up her chemistry papers and sat awaiting instruction from Mrs. Lopez, Koosh pen poised at the ready.

"Brittany, this isn't chemistry class. You're cooking, I'm supervising. Santana!" Maribel called. "Brittany's not cooking dinner without you, so get in here!"

Santana walked in and lightly patted Brittany on the butt, as she was leaning in the refrigerator. Brittany quickly stood up, with a head of broccoli in her hands and glanced at Mrs. Lopez. Her back was turned away. Santana winked. Brittany bit her lip and shook her head.

"So what's on the menu?" Santana asked.

"It's on the fridge door Santana," her mother replied.

Santana checked, and sure enough, the entire week's dinner menu they had worked on was up.

"So what do we do first?" Santana asked.

Brittany was starting to cut the broccoli.

"I'm not telling you. You start, and I'll step in if I see a disaster in the making," Mrs. Lopez explained.

Santana frowned, but accepted the challenge. She got out the chicken breasts and the box of wild rice.

Santana and Brittany were doing well to start. Santana had remembered to rinse off the chicken and pat it dry. She warmed up the pan on the stove, added the oil. Brittany consulted Mrs. Lopez on how much water should be in the pot for the broccoli and how long to cook it without it getting mushy. The only thing they got wrong was the timing. The broccoli was done before the chicken and the rice took another 15 minutes after the chicken was done. Maribel was impressed.

"Timing is the hardest thing to learn. Once you do this a few times, you learn how long everything takes and you can figure it out."

Brittany was busy writing notes in her notebook. "So," Brittany paused for thought. "Rice first, chicken second, broccoli last."

Maribel nodded. Brittany beamed. Santana looked up with her mouth full of chicken. "We totally got this," Santana mumbled.

"What did I say about talking with your mouth full?" Maribel commented, cutting up her chicken.

"Sorry," Santana mumbled and swallowed.

"Can you drop me off at work and take my car to get the oil changed tomorrow? I'm going to visit your Dad in Columbus this weekend."

"Sure!" Brittany replied for Santana.

Santana looked over at Brittany and frowned. "How early?"

"You know I leave at 8:30. So that's a yes?" Maribel asked Santana.

Santana shrugged, "Sure."

After dinner, Mrs. Lopez took care of the dishes, and Brittany and Santana went upstairs to Santana's room to start the _MacBeth_ review. Santana knew Brittany stumbled over the old English writing, so Santana decided visuals were needed.

Mrs. Lopez was talking to her husband on the phone, when she heard muffled yelling from upstairs.

"What the…" Maribel interrupted her conversation with her husband.

"Honey, what is it?"

"It's Santana and Brittany, but it doesn't sound like studying. Hold on," Maribel said, walking up the stairs. "I'm going to check this out."

"Good, I want to talk with Santana anyway," Dr. Lopez replied.

As Maribel got closer to Santana's door, she could hear Santana doing a terrible Scottish accent. She pushed open the door to see her acting out the 'three witches' scene, and Brittany in rapt attention.

"Oh my…" Maribel uttered.

Santana whipped around, started by her mother's presence.

"Mama! You're supposed to knock first," Santana complained.

"Sorry," Maribel stifled a smile. "Forgot. Um, you're Dad wants to talk to you," Maribel said, handing over the phone.

Maribel left Santana and Brittany alone in her room.

"Hey Dad," Santana greeted. "What's up?"

"Hi honey. Not much. Missing you and your Mama," Dr. Lopez replied.

"I miss you too Dad," Santana smiled.

"How's Brittany settling in?"

"Good! Mama's making us doing a bunch of house stuff and cooking, but it's good."

"And her cat?"

"Fat and happy and sleeping on your favorite chair," Santana teased.

"He better not be when I get home," Dr. Lopez warned.

"He doesn't take direction very well, but we'll try."

"How's the job and apartment hunting going?"

Santana sighed, stood up and walked into the hallway. "It sucks. I can't get a job until I get there. No one is hiring out of state. And even with the graduation money, apartments are really expensive. But…" Santana put on a brave face. "…it's going okay. I'm going to talk with Rachel, since she's already been to New York looking at apartments and I'm looking into asking April Rhodes for some job advice."

"That's great honey. I know you'll find something. There's no standing in your way when you put your mind to something," Dr. Lopez praised.

"Thanks Dad," Santana smiled weakly. "We'll see."

Dr. Lopez could hear the doubt in his daughter's voice, but put it aside for the moment.

"Anyway, I'll be home in a few weeks, and we'll take a trip out to New York for a weekend, okay?"

"That'll be great Dad. Thanks! Can't wait," Santana replied.

Santana spoke with her father for a few more minutes, before handing the phone back to her mother downstairs. When she returned to her room, she found Brittany reading the scenes that Santana just acted out.

"This makes a whole lot more sense now," Brittany said, looking up from the book.

"Yeah?" Santana asked, pleased with herself and Brittany's compliment.

"Totally. Thanks," Brittany said, getting up and giving Santana a kiss as an extra thank you.

"How's your Dad?"

"Good, though he sounds tired. And we're going to have to try to keep Tubbs off of his chair," Santana cautioned.

"Good luck with that," Brittany replied with a grin.

* * *

The next morning, Brittany drove Mrs. Lopez to work, while Santana slept in.

"You didn't have to get up Brittany. I could've gotten Santana to take me," Maribel explained as they pulled into her work parking lot.

"It's really no problem, Mrs. L. I always wake up early. Santana's grumpy all day when she doesn't get enough sleep. This way, I'm guaranteed to have a happy girlfriend all day," Brittany smiled.

"Well, thank you again," Maribel smiled as she got out of the car.

Brittany watched Mrs. Lopez walk into work before she left the parking lot. When she got home, Brittany made a pot of coffee and brought it up to Santana's room. Santana's one eye struggled to open, as she felt the bed sink with Brittany's weight.

"Mornin' beautiful," Brittany cooed as she wafted the coffee mug under Santana's nose.

"Hey gorgeous," Santana sleepily smiled.

After Santana had her coffee, they took a shower. It wasn't until the water started going cold that they realized they should actually get clean. Santana and Brittany drove Mrs. Lopez's car over to Hummel's Tire Shop for the oil change. As they pulled up, Kurt walked out to greet them.

"Ladies! What brings you to Chez Hummel today?"

"Hi Kurt!" Brittany hugged him and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I like your coveralls."

"Why thank you Britt," Kurt smiled. "I played with the design, you know, for the more discerning mechanic," he explained as he spun around.

His coveralls were still the original gray-blue color, but Kurt had tailored them to fit more snug, and added pyramid silver studs to his collar and shoulders. Silver piping ran down the side of each pant leg as well. They matched is studded neckerchief that poked out of the top of his outfit and his studded Doc Marten boots. His outfit was a cross between quasi-military and Michael Jackson.

"I'm actually making some alterations for the guys. They want some different utility pockets and some hemming."

"We're here for an oil change not a fashion show Lady Lips," Santana smirked as she emerged from the car. "It's for my Mom, so make sure your Dad does it," Santana added as she tossed Kurt the keys. He dropped them.

"Is he home? I thought he was in Washington?" Brittany asked.

"Summer recess. He has some events to go to around the district, but he's in the shop a few days a week," Kurt explained. He then turned to Santana, "So you and your Mom's car are in luck Satan," Kurt teased.

Burt Hummel wiped his hands and greeted Santana and Brittany as they entered the shop.

"Hi girls," Burt beamed. "How's your summer treating you two?"

"Good! Santana and Quinn are helping me with summer school," Brittany replied.

"You're staying at the Lopez's while your parents are gone, yeah?" Burt asked.

Brittany nodded with a confused look to Burt.

"Your dad brought the car in for a full tune-up before they made the trip to New Mexico. Good luck with summer school. I'm sure you'll do great," Burt put an encouraging hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Mr. Hummel," Brittany appreciated the warm gesture.

"And how about you Santana? I heard you got into Louisville, but then a little birdie told me you might be headed to the Big Apple?"

"Working on it. Signed up for some classes. Job and apartment hunting now," Santana explained with some extra confidence she was able to muster.

"You should talk to Kurt. He's doing the same thing," Burt encouraged, gently directing her to Kurt, who was on the phone with a customer. "Oh, hey, when's your dad back in town? I'm supposed to get a check up with him, but his office said he was away. I went to that other guy he works with last time…what's his name…his partner…it's on the tip of my brain…I didn't like him as much though…"

"His name isn't important, and he's not his partner anymore," Santana quickly replied. "Dad's back after the 4th of July. Make an appointment after that."

"Why don't they practice together anymore?" Burt asked, with some concern.

Santana shrugged.

"He said some not so nice stuff when that ad came out last year, so Santana's dad broke up with him," Brittany replied.

Santana could see Burt's hands tighten their grip on his greasy rag.

"It's nothing. Really. Call my Dad's office. I'm sure he'd love to see you after the 4th," Santana smiled at Burt, trying to end the conversation.

Burt understood and let it drop, but gave a sympathetic look to Santana, then over to Kurt.

"Hey Santana!" Finn called from behind a car.

Brittany's shoulders stiffened. Burt left to pull Mrs. Lopez's car inside.

"What are you doing here?" he moved from behind the car and walked toward them. "Hey Britt," he greeted with a smile.

"Hey Finnocence. I thought you were going into the Army? Didn't pass the physical?" Santana teased.

Finn let out a sigh of frustration. "Basic doesn't start for another couple of weeks, so I'm helping Burt out until then."

Santana nodded. "So, you're surviving without Berry nipping at your heels?" Santana asked.

"She got back last week from the city. She found an apartment. But it's been weird. She's being kind of distant," Finn confessed.

"You broke up with her," Santana scoffed.

"No, well, yes, in a way," Finn stumbled. "But for when we actually go. I didn't mean to break up with her before that. Not really."

Brittany put her hand on the small of Santana's back. "Why don't you sing a slowed down acoustic version of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. I'm sure that'll make her putty in your hand," Brittany dead-panned.

Santana put her hand on Brittany shoulder and lightly squeezed it.

"You think that would work?" Finn asked.

"Totally," Brittany replied with a forced smile, and led Santana away from Finn and toward Kurt.

"Thanks!" Finn called after them as they walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Vero, it's only appropriate that you're my 100th review. You should get a prize or something. Unicorn pillow pet? Seems right. To answer a couple questions that came up: This story is very light on actual chemistry and Quinn is too responsible to blow up the kitchen. Yes, I'm following the show speculation that Kurt will do fashion in NYC, and coveralls seemed like a natural start. Kurt makes glamour-alls :D Yes, Brittany can cook! She wasn't following a recipe, so she's fine. I also never realized how many Def Leppard fans I have ;) Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

* * *

Santana and Brittany approached Kurt as he hung up the phone.

"Any luck with 'Mission Impossible: Get Out of Lima'?" Santana asked.

Kurt slumped his shoulders. "No. I'm saving all the money I make here, but apartment hunting and job searching is awful. I'm competing with every fashion student in the New York Metropolitan area for a job – any job – and the only apartments I can afford are terrifying."

"What, no Broadway?" Brittany asked.

"Someday. Maybe. I'm going to take acting and voice lessons and reapply to NYADA next year. But fashion is performing too," Kurt explained.

"Brittany had a great idea for job searching," Santana said in an attempt to cheer up Kurt.

Kurt looked dubious.

"April Rhodes," Santana stated. "Tony Award-winning play on Broadway. _And_ you know she has a soft spot for us Lima Losers."

"She's a drunk and clinically insane," Kurt scoffed.

"But she's _our_ drunk, insane person. I'm going to get her number from Mr. Shue and call her. She's _got_ to know someone. Because it sounds like your experience making cold calls and emailing has gotten you about as far as it's gotten me. Nowhere," Santana explained.

Kurt gave it some thought and nodded his head. "At this point, what have we got to lose? It's either that, or be stuck here, and despite the fact that having Blaine here would make things better, I don't think I can stomach another year in Lima."

Santana and Brittany both nodded in unison.

"Have you talked to Rachel since she's been back?" Kurt asked.

"She's not exactly on my speed dial Kurt," Santana smirked.

"She's on mine. She found an apartment, so we better call her before she skips town," Kurt explained.

"Set it up Hummel. We'll be there," Santana agreed.

* * *

Mrs. Lopez entered her home after being dropped off by a co-worker, and found the exact same scene as the day before. Santana reading Shakespeare on the couch and Quinn reviewing chemistry with Brittany in the kitchen. The only difference was that this time, there was a box of 64 Crayola Crayons on the kitchen counter and Quinn was carefully drawing colorful cartoons of molecules, and their interactions for Brittany.

Brittany, Santana and Maribel got through that night's dinner lesson with another burn for Santana and some decidedly overdone peas.

"British people eat mushy peas," Brittany reasoned.

Santana and Maribel both gave her a quizzical look.

"What? Giles," Brittany explained.

Maribel stared blankly. Santana had a glimmer of recognition.

"On Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. The show," Brittany continued.

"Giles was alright, but I don't remember that part," Santana shrugged.

"You were too busy staring at Faith," Brittany teased.

Maribel chuckled.

"Was not," Santana grumbled.

"Sure. Whatever," Brittany dismissed her with a smile.

Later that evening, Santana kissed Brittany goodnight in the hallway, and turned to enter her bedroom. Maribel stood at the end of the hall in her robe and smiled.

"What are you plans for tomorrow?" Maribel asked.

"Britt and I are meeting Rachel and Kurt at the bookstore to get all of Rachel's apartment-hunting information out of her. She found a place," Santana said.

"Oh I'm so happy for her. Good. I'm glad you're reaching out to your friends for help," Maribel said, rubbing her hand down Santana's arm and lightly squeezing.

"I wouldn't call Rachel a '_friend_ friend' Mama," Santana clarified.

"You be nice," Maribel warned.

"I will Mama," Santana said with a smile. "Promise. I'm working on it."

"I'm so proud of you, do you know that?" Maribel confessed.

"I have done anything yet."

"You're job searching, you're apartment hunting, you're tutoring Brittany, you're learning how to cook, and take care of yourself," Maribel assured her, a tear starting to form in her eye. "You're getting so grown up," she continued, cupping Santana's cheek.

Santana leaned into her mother's hand, and looked down, a little uncomfortable at the praise she didn't know what to do with, but it made her heart lighter and she let herself feel some pride. She pulled her mother's hand from her face and held it at her side.

"Thanks Mama," Santana shyly smiled. "I'm working on it, but I still have a long way to go."

"Yes you do," Maribel agreed. "But you'll get there."

* * *

Santana and Brittany entered the bookstore and were greeted by Quinn sitting behind the counter.

"Hey girls. Coffee?"

"Iced," they both replied in unison. "With vanilla," Brittany added.

Quinn looked at Santana. "Hazelnut Q," she said with a smile.

Rachel and Kurt were sitting at a table in the back of the store and waved them over.

Rachel got up and immediately hugged Brittany. "Kurt just told me you're doing summer school and coming to New York! This is so exciting!" Rachel squealed.

Rachel turned to Santana; her arms open for a hug. Santana rolled her eyes and unfolded her arms from her chest, giving in with a nod. Rachel gave her a bruising hug then quickly stepped back.

"I can't _wait_ to have all of you in New York with me! It's going to make New York even more amazing, if that's _even_ possible!" Rachel gushed and clapped her hands.

Santana and Brittany seated themselves and Quinn came over with everyone's drinks.

"We're out of the regular soy Rachel, so I used vanilla. Hope that's okay?" Quinn asked setting down Rachel's latte.

"That's great, thank you Quinn."

Santana looked over at Rachel, then Quinn and raised her eyebrow with a smirk. Quinn rolled her eyes and shook her head at Santana and walked away from the table.

"Alright Berry, spill," Santana began.

"Yes, we need to know _everything_ about your apartment and the search. The neighborhoods, the square footage, the price," Kurt said.

"Well," Rachel started, leaning in. "It was exhausting, that's for sure. I mean, even with my extensive morning workouts, mental training, and visualization techniques, I found the entire experience draining. I lost count on how many apartments we looked at. A few big, but most were tiny, shoebox-sized studios. All expensive. I looked all over Manhattan and Brooklyn too. But my Dads and I settled on a student apartment. I get a discount on rent, or they get it subsidized from the school. I'm not sure how it works. But they have some deal with schools in the area. Since I'm enrolled full-time, we got a deal on a bright little studio walk-up in Midtown East."

"A studio like those lofts?" Brittany asked.

"No, like one little room Brittany," Rachel explained. "It's one open room with a little kitchenette the size of a closet and a bathroom."

"How much walk-up?" Kurt asked.

"4th floor walk up," Rachel chirped. "These legs are going to get a work out."

"How big is it?" Kurt asked.

"20 feet long by about 12 feet wide."

Kurt was mentally inventorying his belongings and decided to rent a larger storage unit for his things.

"How much?" Santana asked.

"It normally goes for $2,000, but I got it for $1,200 with the student discount. That and my loans and I got a scholarship and a grant, I should live quite comfortably," Rachel said with a satisfied grin.

"$2,000 for one room…" Brittany whispered.

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand under the table.

"The neighborhood is safe?" Santana asked.

"Yes, it's not bad. Obviously not ideal, but it's relatively close to the Theater District. There's so many people out at night, and it is almost all students in the building, so I felt quite safe," Rachel explained. "My Dads looked up the crime statistics and Midtown East isn't bad at all. Plus, I have my rape whistle and pepper spray, so I feel confident in my ability to successfully navigate the streets of Manhattan," Rachel said with a confident smile.

Santana, Brittany and Kurt left Rachel and the bookstore dejected. New York seemed farther and farther away, the more they did the math. Santana didn't have a job. Rent would take up all her graduation money, plus there was paying for classes, subway passes, utilities, and oh yes, food.

Kurt returned to the tire shop and Santana and Brittany went home to regroup.

Santana slumped onto the living room couch and ran her hands though her hair in frustration.

"I was hoping Berry found some secret to getting a cheap apartment," Santana sighed. "Fuck!" she exclaimed, and sat up, putting her head in her hands. "I'm sorry Britt," Santana said, her face still covered. "I'm not any closer to getting us to New York. "

Brittany rubbed Santana's back and leaned into her. "Call April," she suggested.

"I don't think I can take any more bad news today Britt," Santana confessed.

"Call," Brittany insisted.

Brittany got up to get ready for her tutoring session with Quinn, and Santana retreated out the back door with her cell phone and dialed Mr. Shue's home number.

"Hello, Pillsbury-Shuester Residence," a chipper voice greeted.

"Hi Ms. Pillsbury, it's Santana."

"Santana! Is everything okay?" Mrs. Pillsbury asked.

"What? Yeah. Yes. I'm fine. Everything's fine. I was calling to talk to Mr. Shue actually. Is he there?"

"No, not at the moment, but maybe I can help you?"

"Only if you have April Rhodes' number. I'm trying to get in touch with her," Santana explained.

"Job search got you down?" Ms. Pillsbury asked.

"How did you? I mean…"

"April's play was on Broadway, so I assumed it was something to do with your New York plans. It was either that or you were trying to get someone to buy you alcohol, but you have Puck and his fake ID for that," Mrs. Pillsbury explained.

Santana's mouth was agape.

"Or did. I think the police finally confiscated it," Mrs. Pillsbury finished.

"Um…okay. So yeah, April, it's about New York and work," Santana stumbled to get the conversation back on track.

"Hold on, let me get our address book," Emma said cheerfully. Santana listened to rustling through the phone.

Emma gave Santana April's phone number and asked about Brittany.

"She's good Ms. P. Quinn and me are helping her with summer school, and she's got some good job prospects lined up."

"And how is she doing with her parents being gone?" Ms. Pillsbury pressed.

"Great. I mean, it sucks for her, but they Skyped last night. She felt a lot better seeing her grandma's face and talking to everyone," Santana assured her.

"Oh, I'm so glad. Good. Well I have to run, but Santana?"

"Yes Ms. Pillsbury?"

"We're here if you need anything, okay? Anything."

"Thanks Ms. P."

Santana hung up the phone and immediately dialed April's number. It rang several times before Santana heard a gruff, "Yeah?"

"Miss Rhodes? It's Santana Lopez. I don't know if you remember me, but I was one of Will Shuester's Glee Club students, and…"

"Cute little Mexican cheerleader?"

"Yeah, I'm not Mexican, but…"

"D'you get your girl?"

"What?"

"That tall hot piece of blonde action you couldn't keep your eyes off of."

"How did you…"

"Oh honey, anybody with eyes could see you were head over heels for her," April explained.

"But…" Santana stammered.

"Yes, even blind drunk I could see that. So, you get her?"

"Yes ma'am," Santana shook her head in disbelief.

"Good for you honey. Now what can I do you for?"

"Well, I'm actually calling about New York. We're moving there in August, and I've called and emailed every place that I could, but I still haven't found a job yet. They're only hiring locally, and I'm a hard worker, and…"

"Got an apartment lined up yet?" April interrupted.

"Not yet. We're still looking," Santana braced her self for more rejection.

"What kind of work you lookin' for darlin'?"

"Anything," Santana confessed her desperation. "Anything that pays decent."

"Hell honey, that could be a lot of things. You lookin' to break into show biz?"

"I want to be a star," Santana confessed.

"Well, first step is admittin' you have a problem, so good for you honey," April replied. "But that ain't what you need. You _need_ to start where everyone else does; at the bottom. And what you _want_ is to make a livin' doing it. Stardom is a rare and mysterious mistress. And she can also be a bitch. So let me give it to ya straight darlin'. You want to sing? Act?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then I might have somethin' for ya if you're willin' to work."

"Yes, anything," Santana's hopes rose. "I'll do anything."

"Can you sew?"

"Um, no. Not really," Santana winced.

"Okay…hmmm…let me check into a couple things and get back to you. I have a friend renovating an off-off-Broadway theater, and he's gonna be puttin' something together over there. He's gonna need a lot of help."

"Thank you Ms. Rhodes. Thank you _so_ much."

"First of all honey, it's April, or don't bother callin' and second of all, you kids remind me of me back in the day. So if I can help you out, I will. Plus, that Will Shuester…damn, he's tastier than a box of wine," April said wistfully.

Santana grimaced.

"April?"

"Yes honey?"

"Um, I have a friend, from Glee. His name's Kurt. He's really into fashion and he can sew…"

"Thank the Lord. Well that's one hole filled. Tell him to call me Monday," April said.

"Thanks April. Really. This means so much to me. Us. Thank you," Santana said, so relieved.

"Don't mention it honey. I'll call you in a couple weeks when I know more, okay?"

"Yes. Okay. Thank you. Thank _you_."

Santana hung up the phone and did a happy dance on the back patio. Santana burst in the back door and tackled Brittany off the kitchen stool. She kissed Brittany hard and gave her a hug. When she pulled back, Brittany saw her grinning from ear to ear.

"God I love you. You're a genius Britt! Genius!"

"I'm going to guess your talk with April went well," Brittany teased.

"I might have a job. On Broadway. Well off-Broadway," Santana couldn't contain her excitement.

"Was she sober?" Quinn asked.

"Oh shit, I didn't see you Quinn. When did you get here?" Santana asked.

"2pm, like I've been doing. Like I'm doing all summer," Quinn reminded Santana.

"Oh right. Oh, so yeah, she seemed sober-ish. I'm not sure. With that accent, it's kind of hard to tell. Anyway, she knows a guy that's putting something together at this theater and he needs help. And she has something for Kurt too. I've got to call him," Santana kissed Brittany again and started to leave the kitchen.

"Tell him in person S," Quinn suggested. "I think you'll like to see the look on his face."

"Whatever Q. Why would I care what his face looks like?"

"Because you cared enough to put his name in for a job, that's why," Quinn replied.

Santana smirked and nodded. "Fine. Oh, hey Quinn, what are you doing Saturday night?"

"Nothing, why?"

"Mama's gone for the weekend. Think Judy will let you stay over? I feel the need for a celebration."

Brittany sat up, smiled and nodded enthusiastically at Quinn.

"Who else is going to be there?"

"Rachel's back in town. Puck hasn't left yet. Sam's around. Kurt's here," Santana was trying to think of more people.

"Rachel can't come. She's going out with Finn Saturday night," Quinn explained.

Brittany let out a small sigh of relief.

"Okay so it's Puck, Trouty Mouth, us three and Kurt," Santana gave a nod of satisfaction.

"Where's Sugar?" Brittany asked.

"France?" Santana guessed.

"Switzerland," Quinn clarified.

"Teen Jesus?" Santana asked.

"Jesus Camp," Quinn smiled.

"Alright, I'll text everyone and set it up," Santana said, and headed up to her room and left Quinn to finish helping Brittany.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: #1 Fan anon – my goodness you're dedicated. I'm flattered! Shout out to the BTVS fans, which seems like all of you. Hi all! The April love has been an extra special treat. Gosh all the praise for quick updates and I left you hanging for several days. Sorry, work's a bitch sometimes. Thanks again to all of you for sticking with the story. Virtual group hug!

* * *

"Brittany told me you had some good news?" Maribel said, poking her head into Santana's bedroom.

Santana was relaxing on the bed with her book and looked up to her mother with a smile. "I talked to April Rhodes today. She might have some work for me in New York," Santana replied with a tentative smile.

"Oh that's wonderful sweetheart!" Maribel said as she walked over to Santana's bed and gave her a hug. "But why aren't you more excited? This is amazing news."

"I _am_ excited. Really," Santana said with a genuine smile. "But I still don't have an apartment yet. A job isn't any good if I don't have a place to stay," Santana reasoned.

"Rachel wasn't any help?" Maribel asked, sitting down and wrapping her arm around Santana's shoulder.

Santana slid her computer off her lap and curled into her mother. "She got a big discount for being a full-time student. Got some student housing. Britt and me don't have that."

"Well, you have your graduation money for a reason," Maribel reminded her.

"I know, I just don't want to use it all on rent if I don't have to. That's all," Santana assured her.

"Well, between you and Brittany working, that should make up for a lot of it," Maribel reasoned.

"Maybe half of it," Santana sighed. "When I started adding up all the other costs, like utilities, subway pass and food, it just…"

"It adds up," Maribel said.

Santana nodded in agreement. "Why does everything have to cost _money_?"

Maribel chuckled, "Sucks being an adult, doesn't it?"

Santana leaned her head into her mother's shoulder and sighed. "What if we don't make it? What if all this planning and work and effort is for nothing?"

"Oh honey," Maribel sat up. "Can I give you some advice?"

"Please."

"If you want something bad enough, you'll find a way to make it work. But the most important thing is never ask yourself 'What if'. It will drive you crazy and get you absolutely nowhere. No 'what ifs'. No 'I should've'. You may change your plans, but in the end, the goal is what matters. It may take longer than you want. You may take a lot of unexpected twists and turns to get there. But you'll get there. And if all else fails, our door is always open," Maribel advised, and kissed Santana on the head.

Santana smiled weakly. "No offense Mama, but I'm going do everything I can to not come back to live here."

"I know. That's why I said that. More motivation to succeed. Of course, I wouldn't mind at all if I had you here another year or five," Maribel sighed. "But it's your time, and it's always good to have a back up plan. You always have a home here."

"Thanks Mama," Santana said as she cuddled up to her mother.

Santana saw the flash and heard the click of a camera. She looked over to see Brittany looking at her phone.

"Awwwww. This is such a cute picture," Brittany smiled.

Santana rolled her eyes and smiled back.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting?" Brittany asked, leaning up against the doorframe.

"Not at all Brittany," Maribel replied with an arm open. "Come here and join the snugglefest."

Brittany sat on the other side of Maribel and sank into her. She held Santana's hand, across Maribel's lap.

"We were just talking about New York," Maribel explained.

"Yeah, I heard some of that," Brittany confessed. "Good advice Mrs. L."

Maribel smiled. "Thank you dear. How's your family?"

"Grandma is making progress. Really slow progress, but Mom and Dad seem hopeful. If there aren't any setbacks, they should be home by the end of July."

"When's graduation?" Maribel asked.

"First week of August. But I have to pass first," Brittany reminded them.

"You will," Maribel and Santana said in unison.

"We'll see," sighed Brittany.

* * *

The next afternoon, Maribel came home to an empty house. No Santana on the couch. No Quinn or Brittany in the kitchen. Lord Tubbington hopped off Dr. Lopez's favorite chair and rubbed back and forth around her legs. "He's going to make a hat out of you if you don't stay off that chair," Maribel scolded the cat. She then bent down and scratched Lord Tubbington behind the ears. "I don't blame you though. It _is_ a comfy chair," she smiled.

Maribel heard laughter coming from the backyard. She quietly opened the back door and saw Brittany and Quinn animatedly talking. Santana was asleep in the hammock with a book on her chest. She watched as Quinn talked and Brittany nodded in understanding and smiling. It looked like whatever Quinn was explaining, it was working. Brittany hugged Quinn, then picked her up and spun her around. Quinn laughed and giggled. Mrs. Lopez watched as Brittany then whispered in Quinn's ear and pointed at Santana, still asleep in the hammock.

"Uh oh," Maribel thought. Santana was blissfully unaware of Quinn and Brittany sneaking up on her.

Quinn tried to stifle a laugh and Brittany shushed her with a tap on the arm. Mrs. Lopez watched as Quinn and Brittany pounced on Santana, nearly tipping her off the hammock. What Maribel hadn't seen was the glass of ice Brittany had been holding. While Quinn held Santana down, Brittany dumped the ice down Santana's shirt.

"Jesus fucking Christ! Goddamn son of a bitch! You mother fucker! What the fuck?" Santana yelled and struggled under Quinn's weight and determination to keep her down. "I will cut you Quinn! Shit god _damn_ that is freezing. Fuck! I'm gonna kill you Fabray. Fuckin' kill you. I swear to fucking god. Fuck it's melting in my underwear. I. Will. Ends. You."

Brittany stood behind Santana's head, out of sight and stifled a giggle.

"It's just ice honey," Brittany soothed.

"Britt?" Santana strained to turn her head toward her. "Do _not_ tell me you did this?"

Brittany bit her lip and nodded with a shy smile. "It was my idea actually," she confessed. "Probably not a good idea huh? Considering I think you have completely ruined the neighbor's kids' virgin ears," Brittany suggested.

Santana looked over her other shoulder, through the bottom of the pine trees. There were the neighbor's kids scrambling up and running back to their house.

Santana winced. "Oops."

Quinn loosened her grip on Santana, and Santana squirmed out from under Quinn, dumping her onto the ground.

"Ouch!" Quinn complained, rubbing her hip.

"Is that for real hurt, or just your pride?" Santana asked, a little concerned. That was her bad side.

Quinn tenderly got up, walked over to Santana and gave her a shove.

"Pride," Brittany confirmed.

Quinn turned to go into the house and Santana noticed a small blood stain on the back of Quinn's shirt.

"Hey Quinn, hold up a minute," Santana called.

Quinn stopped near Mrs. Lopez, who was trying to decide if she should say anything about Santana's swearing putting sailor's to shame.

"You have some blood on you," Santana said as she pulled up the back of Quinn shirt.

"Dammit, that was a new shirt," Quinn grumbled, trying to twist and see where she was cut.

"Just a scrape," Santana assured her.

"Let's get you patched up," Mrs. Lopez smiled, leading Quinn into the kitchen.

Brittany went upstairs to get Band-Aids and some alcohol swabs. Mrs. Lopez lifted the back of Quinn's shirt as she leaned on the kitchen counter. Quinn went to stop her but hesitated.

"Just getting the dirt off Quinn. There's a bunch of little sticks under that tree. One just decided to take a little bite out of you," Santana explained.

Mrs. Lopez's hand stopped once it revealed the scars. Quinn bit her lip, but said nothing.

"Scars are just the marks guardian angels leave when they've pulled you away from greater harm," Mrs. Lopez said, wiping away the dirt with a wet paper towel.

Quinn smiled at the thought, and Santana rolled her eyes. "You also said scars are there to remind me to stop being stupid," Santana complained.

"Jumping off the old shed with a blanket for a cape, thinking you could fly, is definitely stupid," Maribel replied.

"You never told me about that Santana," Quinn giggled.

"I was six!" Santana explained folding her arms.

Brittany returned with the alcohol swabs and Sponge Bob Band-Aids.

"Really Britt?" Quinn asked, spying the box in her hand.

Brittany just smiled and nodded and patched her up.

* * *

Friday evening, Brittany was putting another Sponge Bob Band-Aid on, but it was Santana's index finger this time.

"They should make the handle heat proof all the way to the pan, that's all I'm saying'," Santana huffed as Brittany kissed her bandaged finger.

"At least it's not your left hand," Brittany whispered in her ear, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

Maribel rolled her overnight bag to the front of the door.

"Okay girls, I'm heading out," she said, walking into the kitchen. "Brittany, don't forget…"

"I know, Pierce housework," Brittany replied. "Lawn, mail, water plants," Brittany nodded with a smile.

Maribel leaned over and gave Santana a kiss on the cheek. "Be good."

"No promises Mama," Santana teased.

"Don't' burn the house down then," Maribel patted her head.

"We can promise that," Santana replied.

Santana followed her mother to the door and locked it once Maribel was gone.

"Yes!" Santana cheered.

Brittany gave Santana a wink from across the room and started walking up the stairs, exaggerating the sway of her hips.

"Game on Britt," Santana said as she chased Brittany upstairs.

Brittany's naked body was still covered in a sheen of sweat, as she tried to blow a hair away from her face. Santana leaned on the doorframe and took in the sight. Her girlfriend was gorgeous. Her eyes ran up Brittany's body, from her pink painted toenails to her hands, still tied up to the headboard in one of Santana's silky scarves.

"Need a hand?" Santana suggested, as she set down two glasses of water she'd retrieved from downstairs, straddled Brittany's thighs and brushed the errant hair away from Brittany's eyes.

"Thanks," Brittany whispered, as she took her turn appreciating her girlfriend's naked body. "I like your hands."

"Drink?" Santana asked, as she reached for the glasses.

"Mmmhmmm, yes please," Brittany smiled softly and sat up as much as she could with her hands tied.

Santana brought the glass to Brittany's lips and let her take a few swallows.

"Thanks baby, but you know, this would be a lot easier if you untied…_Oh my God!"_ Brittany screamed as Santana proceeded to pour the rest of the icy water all down Brittany's chest.

"No, no, no, no. God it's cold!" Brittany complained as she squirmed.

"You didn't think I'd forget the ice cube incident, do you?" Santana smirked, as she sat firmly on Brittany's agitated legs.

"I'm tied up Santana Totally not fair," Brittany pouted.

"Tough," Santana replied, getting up off the Brittany and the now wet bed. "Quinn pinned me down, so it's almost the same thing."

"Where are you going?" Brittany called after her as she left the room.

"Night Britt-Britt," Santana replied from the hallway.

Santana!" Brittany yelled, and struggled with the ties at her wrists.

"Crap," Brittany grumbled.

Five minutes later, Santana reappeared with a fluffy bath towel, fresh out of the dryer. She straddled Brittany again and draped the towel over her, tucking it lightly under her sides. She reached up and untied Brittany's hands and rubbed her wrists gently in her hands.

"You didn't really think I was going to leave you there did you?" Santana frowned.

"No. But, I'm still mad at you," Brittany pouted.

"Awww," Santana cooed. "And here I was going to invite you to sleep in my dry bed."

Brittany sat up and adjusted the warm towel.

"Thanks for this," Brittany smiled weakly.

"Am I forgiven yet?" Santana asked.

"Ask me tomorrow," Brittany brushed her off and got up. She wrapped the towel around her and walked across the hall to Santana's room.

"You coming?"

Santana jumped off the bed and followed Brittany into her room, and into her warm, dry bed.

* * *

Saturday morning, Brittany woke up still spooned around Santana. She breathed the scent of her hair and skin mixed with lotion and conditioner and last night's love making. She smiled to herself and kissed the back of Santana's neck. Santana grumbled and rolled over, her arm smacking Brittany in the face.

"Ow!" Brittany complained, rubbing her nose.

"Huh?" Santana sleepily asked.

"I think I took enough abuse from you yesterday," Brittany teased, the pain in her nose subsiding.

"I was just getting even," Santana sighed, still not opening her eyes, or making any effort to wake up.

"Come on sleepy head. We've got to go to my house and do chores."

"_You've_ got to go," Santana clarified, pulling the blanket over her head and rolling away.

Brittany shook her head and got up without Santana. She dressed in some old work out clothes and headed downstairs.

Santana woke up when she heard the front door shut and Brittany's radio blare as she pulled out of the driveway. She rolled over to find a steaming cup of coffee with a Post-It note.

_See you soon_

Santana smiled and sipped her coffee.

Brittany was just finishing mowing the lawn when Santana's car pulled into her driveway. Santana sat in her car and watched her as she made the turns, back and forth. Her girlfriend was sexy even when she was mowing the lawn, Santana thought.

"Got your mail," Santana called, walking to the front porch and laying down a stack of catalogs, magazines and junk mail.

"I thought they'd only give it to me," Brittany commented as she wiped her brow of sweat.

"I have my ways," Santana smirked. "What's left?"

"Just have to water the plants," Brittany sighed. "Then we're done."

Santana went inside and Brittany began watering her mother's seemingly endless, flower beds. Santana returned with a glass of ice water for Brittany and sat on the porch, flipping through the catalogs. Brittany made her way around the yard, watering the plants with the hose. When she neared Santana on the porch she couldn't resist and pointed the garden hose at her girlfriend.

Santana jumped up, dropping her catalog and stared down at her wet shirt and shorts.

"Oh, you're gonna get it," Santana growled.

She ran toward Brittany as the steady stream of cold water soaked her clothes. Brittany didn't budge. Not until Santana tackled her and ripped the hose out of her hand and gave Brittany as good as she'd gotten. Their piercing screams of laughter as they wrestled each other for the hose on the front lawn drew a stare from the elderly woman across the street. She just shook her head and kept walking her Yorkshire Terrier.

Out of breath, soaking wet and covered in grass stains, Santana and Brittany finally called a truce.

"Even now? For real?" Santana sat back, draping her arms over her propped up knees.

Brittany smiled and nodded, "We're good."

Brittany stood up and helped Santana to her feet.

"Ice cream?" Brittany suggested.

"And ruin our lunch? Definitely," Santana agreed.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Walsh asked about Santana's abuela and will she make an appearance. She may come up later in the story. Also, sorry about the delay in updates. Work has seriously been kicking my ass.

* * *

Quinn walked into the kitchen and set down a bag of potato chips and a bottle of vodka.

"Always keepin' it classy Q," Santana teased, grabbing the bottle.

"Gotta hold onto my Lima roots when I'm at Yale," Quinn replied. "Need help?"

"Yeah, um Britt is setting up the grill out back, and I'm setting up the bar next to the sink here, so if you can put out all the chips and dip and snacks and stuff in bowls, that'd be great."

Quinn started opening bags of chips. "How's Brittany doing with _MacBeth_?"

"Good! She's getting it. Slowly but surely. The only way it works is me acting out though," Santana said with a chuckle.

"Well, she is the most visual learner I've ever met," Quinn said, smirking as she pictured Santana acting out the scenes.

"And Chemistry?" Santana asked as she lined up the bottles of vodka and rum.

"Not bad actually. The only trick is the formulas and math. They're tough to visualize. But hopefully, with this reviewing, her classes, and tutoring after school, she'll pass," Quinn smiled encouragingly.

"I'm going to owe you dinner or drinks or first born or something, for all the work you're putting into this," Santana said.

"Thanks Santana, but that's what friends are for."

"We've been friends for years, Quinn. We've never helped each other this much."

"You were there for me after the accident," Quinn reminds her.

Santana smiled and nodded, looking down at her feet, "And you were there after the ad blew up."

They continued setting up for the party in silence. Both thinking about the twists and turns their friendship has taken over the years. Brittany walked in and stole a chip from one of the bowls Quinn filled and pecked her on the cheek.

"Hey Britt. The only girl you should be kissing is standing right here," Santana said with her hands on her hips.

Brittany rolled her eyes in exasperation and gave Santana a soft kiss on the lips.

"Better?" Britt whispered.

"Much," Santana said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Now I feel like I've been short-changed," Quinn teased.

"I thought you said you weren't that into that," Britt asked.

Quinn laughed. "I'm not. Just kiddin' Britt."

"When's everyone getting here?" Britt asked.

Sam popped his head in the back door, "Hello ladies!"

"Now," said Santana.

"Hey Sam," Quinn greeted. "How's your family?"

"Good. Just got back from visiting them."

"You're staying here for your senior year?" Brittany asked through a mouthful of potato chips.

"Yeah, well, since Burt took me in, I've been helping out at the shop. And he goes back to DC soon and Finn and Kurt are leaving, so he needs some extra help," Sam explained. "That gives me a place to stay, a job to send money home, and I get to finish at McKinley."

"You've got it all worked out don't you Trouty," Santana smiled, ruffling his hair like a puppy. "How's Mercedes?"

"Good. She found a place in LA, so she's out there with her parents doing some moving stuff," he smiled back, trying to straighten his hair.

"Wait, where's Kurt?" Brittany asked. "You didn't bring him with you?"

"He's still getting ready," Sam shrugged with a smirk.

"Hey Sam, can you get the burgers out of the fridge and start getting them on the grill with Britt. I hear Puck's motorcycle," Santana requested.

"He's probably still at his house. That thing is so damn loud," Quinn added.

Brittany stopped and listened. "No, just getting into our neighborhood," she determined.

Brittany and Sam went outside with the burgers and condiments. Santana admired her work setting up the bar and Quinn rearranged the bowls to the center of the kitchen counter.

"There," Quinn said with satisfaction. "All set."

Puck's motorcycle roared into the driveway and sputtered when he cut off the engine. Puck walked in the back door and dropped his backpack on the counter, knocking the bowls of chips askew.

"Make yourself at home Puck," Santana grimaced.

"Sorry Lezpez," Puck teased, pulling a six-pack of beer out of his bag.

"When are you going to figure out that's not funny Puck," Quinn commented.

"What? Lezpez? It's kinda cute, right Santana?" Puck asked, turning to Santana.

Santana just raised her eyebrow at him, with a hand on her hip, daring him to reconsider the nickname.

"Or not so cute," Puck said with a shrug and a smirk.

Santana gave him a smirk of triumph.

"Hey, just trying to be…well we're friends right…and friends tease and pick on each other, but not in a mean way. I don't mean it to be mean. Just you know, like in a cool lesbro way," Puck explained.

"What is it with guys wanting to be friends with lesbians?" Quinn asked.

"It's like the ultimate insider deal being friends with a lesbian. They can give you the inside scoop on pleasin' a woman. You can't sleep with them. They don't want to sleep with you, but you can scope out chicks together and have a wingman…or wingwoman. Anyway, it's totally cool for straight dudes to have a lez-be-friends friend." Puck explained.

"Word has it, Sam's gunnin' for that privilege," Quinn remarked.

"What? No fuckin' way," Puck said, looking very offended. He stormed out to the back yard to talk to Sam.

Santana laughed. "If he ever thinks I'm going to give him sex tips, he's got another thing coming."

"God knows he could use them though," Quinn replied with a sigh.

The front doorbell rang.

"Kurt," Quinn and Santana noted in unison.

Santana invited him in, and took the crème brule he brought with him.

"You shouldn't have Kurt," Santana thanked him, smelling the dessert.

"Oh you know, it's no big deal. I wanted to contribute to the soiree and I just got my new torch, so had to try it out," Kurt smiled.

"Well thank you," Santana replied leading him into the house.

"So, we're celebrating good New York news?" Kurt asked.

Santana nodded, and led him away from the kitchen and up stairs to her bedroom.

"My, my Santana. I never had the pleasure," Kurt said as his eyes scanned her bedroom.

"I'll take decorating tips from you later Hummel," Santana smiled as she sat him down on her bed. "I talked to April after we met with Rachel. She's looking into a couple opportunities for me, and that means a job, so that's why we're celebrating. But, we're also celebrating because she's got a job that has to do with sewing," Santana grinned.

Kurt's mouth fell open, "Wait, what? So you're telling me this because…?"

"I can't sew and you can, so I told her about you, and here, " Santana lightly shrugged and handed over a crumpled piece of notebook paper with April's name and number on it.

Kurt unfolded the paper and mouthed the words and numbers as he read it. His face lit up and he started to visibly shake.

"You're supposed to call her Monday," Santana said, stepping away.

Kurt's smile couldn't have been bigger, as he wiped away a tear from his eye. He looked up at Santana, trying to find words beyond thank you, but nothing came out. He just stared in disbelief and joy at Santana's thoughtfulness.

Santana started to squirm and folder her arms across her chest. She rolled her eyes and smirked. She felt great that he was so happy. She just wasn't looking forward to his reaction once the shock wore off. Santana turned to leave the room.

"Come on Prancy, we've gots to get our party on," Santana said over her shoulder.

The next thing Santana felt was Kurt's body crashing into her as he hugged her from behind.

"Thank you Santana," he breathed an excited sigh of relief into her ear. "Thank you," he said over and over as he squeezed her waist.

Santana's hands slid over his arms wrapped around her belly and gave them a little pat. She chuckled a little, and then straightened up. She shrugged her shoulders and shrugged him off.

'Okay Kurt, I get it. We're good. We're good," Santana said, trying to extricate herself from Kurt's grasp. He was a lot stronger than Santana thought.

Kurt let go, but held onto her shoulders and turned her to face him. He firmly planted his hands on her and looked her in the eyes.

"You, Santana Lopez, are a good friend. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

Santana smiled and then looked away, "I'll think of something Kurt. You can count on that. Now come on."

* * *

After plenty of food and even more drinks, Quinn, Brittany, Santana, Puck, Sam and Kurt were loose, relaxed and happy. They moved the party entirely outside after Puck dropped and smashed the bottle of rum on the kitchen floor. They talked about their future plans, but mostly they reminisced. Sam and Puck tried to recall all the dating pairs that happened in Glee Club over the years. Sam went inside to grab paper and pen.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asked him.

"Making a diagram of the dating pairs," Sam explained. "I saw it on the 'L Word'".

"Whoa," Quinn gasped. "You must really want to be Santana's lesbro if you're doing research by watching the L Word."

"Research my ass," Kurt teased.

Puck gave Sam a fist bump.

Brittany's phone buzzed. Brittany giggled when she read the text:

_Not funny Brittany_._ – Rachel_

Brittany showed Santana. Santana texted back:

_Paybacks a bitch Gayberry. Maybe Finn'll think twice b4 gettin all up in someone's grill and fixin her problems by ruinin a good song. - S_

The next morning, Kurt was up first and made a pot of coffee. He stood surveying the living room and watched as Puck and Sam snored on the couches. Quinn woke up with a mild hangover in Brittany's bed. She squinted at the late morning sun and pulled herself from bed. She got up and looked into Santana's room. Santana was splayed on her back, snoring away, and still in the clothes she wore the previous night. Brittany was asleep on her stomach, a mass of blonde hair obscuring the pillow.

Quinn met Kurt in the kitchen.

"Whoa, it stills stinks of rum in here," Quinn commented scrunching her nose.

"Yeah, guess we weren't as thorough as we thought cleaning it up last night," Kurt said.

"Well that's what you get for leaving it to Puck to clean when he's five shots into a party," Quinn smiled.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Kurt inquired.

"Not bad. A little headache," Quinn shrugged, and reached for the ibuprofen bottle in the cabinet. "Excited about New York?"

"It's taking all my strength not to call April right now and find out about the job," Kurt beamed.

Mrs. Lopez arrived home around noon Sunday. She opened the door and was hit was the scent of stale, sweet alcohol and the snores of Sam and Puck, still passed out on the living room couches. She walked through to the kitchen and found Quinn and Kurt on their hands and knees wiping down the bottom cabinets and cleaning the floor.

Maribel stood with her arms crossed and eyebrow raised in a questioning judgment.

"How was the party?" Maribel asked.

Quinn and Kurt's heads snapped up in unison.

"Crap," Kurt breathed.

"Mrs. Lopez," Quinn began. "We can explain, see…"

"No need to explain Quinn, and you can stop cleaning up. There's two people upstairs that will really be the best people for this job," Maribel explained.

Quinn nodded and dropped the sponge in the bucket and stood up, pulling Kurt with her.

"There's left over crème brulee," Kurt offered.

"Thank you Kurt," Maribel smiled. "Now, Quinn, tell me they're at least decent."

"Still in the same clothes from last night," Quinn confessed.

Maribel pursed her lips in a tight smile and nodded. "Why don't you two put an end to that racket in the living room and get them at least vertical," she said, leaving the kitchen and walking upstairs.

Maribel made calls to Judy Fabray, Puck's mother, and Burt Hummel. She then marched into Santana's room, threw open the curtains and stood at the foot of Santana's bed.

Brittany groaned and rolled over, her eyes sticky with sleep. Through the blur of sticky lashes, she saw Maribel, arms crossed over her chest in annoyance. Brittany gulped and coughed.

"Can you get up?" Maribel asked.

"I…I think so," Brittany whispered, pressing her head to her temple. The throbbing in her head and the churn of her stomach weren't helping, but she managed to swing her legs off the bed and slowly stand up.

"Why don't you go freshen up and change. Meet me downstairs," Maribel ordered.

Brittany just nodded sheepishly and left the room. Maribel looked down at her snoring daughter and shook her head. She cleared off all the pillows from the bed, pulled off the blankets and top sheet, and put them in a pile on the floor next to Santana's side of the bed. Maribel pulled the fitted sheet off all the way to Santana's body, then gave a swift strong pull, dumping Santana onto the pile of pillows and bedding onto the floor.

"What the fuck!" Santana groaned, scrambling awkwardly to get up, holding onto the bed frame.

Santana looked up and saw her mother, huffing from effort and anger. Santana's stomach turned. She swallowed the acid that rose up her throat. She opened her mouth to speak. Maribel simply raised her hand, closed her eyes and shook her head. Santana pressed her lips together.

"Downstairs in five," Maribel ordered. She swiftly turned and marched out of the room. Santana slumped against the bed, trying to steady her dizzy, pounding head.

Santana entered the kitchen and squinted at the bright light. Puck, Sam and Brittany were sitting at the kitchen island, heads in hands, sipping water. Bottles of Mylanta, ibuprofen and a box of Alka-Seltzer littered the countertop. Quinn and Kurt leaned against the counter, sipping from their coffee mugs. Maribel still had her arms crossed.

"I don't need explanations or excuses," Maribel began. "So stop trying to come up with one. Save your energy. You're going to need it."

Puck and Sam both raised their heads. Santana just squeezed her eyes shut, then regretted it immediately, as her headache got worse.

"I'm not mad that you had a party. I _am_ mad you drank and got drunk. If something had happened. Something bad, and the police and paramedics were involved, _I'm_ responsible, because it's _my_ house," Maribel explained. "I'm glad you're okay. I really am," Maribel soothed. "But you're not off the hook."

"So, aside from your hangovers, you get one more pain. You all belong to me today," Maribel stated with a satisfied smirk. "Puck. Sam. You two are on yard duty. Lawn mowed, grill cleaned, patio tidied. Quinn and Kurt: Since I found you two already cleaning, you're making lunch."

Santana and Brittany braced themselves.

"You two are going to finish cleaning the kitchen floor until it smells like roses, not cheap rum. The upstairs bathroom is your responsibility, remember? I want it spotless. Same goes for your rooms."

Brittany heard Sam start up the lawn mower as she finished cleaning the toilet and started on the bathtub. Santana joined Brittany in the bathroom after she finished putting their bedding in the washing machine. The chemical fumes from the cleaning product hit Santana's nose and went straight to her stomach. Santana fell to her knees and wretched into the toilet. Everything she ate and drank last night was making an encore appearance. Brittany prepared a cool wet washcloth, and applied it to Santana's forehead.

Maribel stopped by the bathroom door and watched Brittany rub Santana's back. Santana was draped over the toilet bowl, sniffling.

"Sorry Britt," Santana croaked.

"For what?" Brittany whispered.

"You just cleaned it."

Maribel left the doorway and left Brittany and Santana to their hangovers and chores.

"Hey, why don't you do both our bedrooms and I'll do the bathroom. I'm not as hung over as you," Brittany suggested.

Santana weakly nodded.

Three hours and many more glasses of water later, Puck, Sam, Quinn, Kurt, Santana and Brittany sat on the back porch. Quinn and Kurt offered words of comfort, as the other four complained of their sour stomachs and headaches that were slow to improve.

Mrs. Lopez joined them on the porch. "Quinn, Kurt, Sam, Noah. You're free to go."

The foursome nodded, thanked Mrs. Lopez and said their goodbyes to Brittany and Santana Maribel turned to the girls.

"I hope this makes you think twice about getting drunk and making a mess," Mrs. Lopez suggested.

Santana and Brittany both nodded.

"Feeling better?"

"Much better than this morning," Santana weakly smiled. Brittany simply nodded.

"Good. There's some chicken noodle soup on the stove and some Saltine crackers. They should stay down," Mrs. Lopez smiled and re-entered the house.

Santana and Brittany ate their simple dinner and retired upstairs to their rooms. Brittany kept herself busy packing her backpack for school in the morning. Santana checked out a few more apartments online. Maribel walked upstairs and checked in on Brittany. There, she saw her daughter sitting behind Brittany, braiding her hair. Brittany's eyes were closed, and a small, blissful smile graced her face. Santana put her hair in a loose braid and whispered in her ear.

"Ready for school tomorrow Brittany?" Maribel asked.

Brittany's eyes opened and she bit her lip. "I think so," she gave a little smile.

"You'll do great," Santana whispered in her ear.

"Yes, you will," Mrs. Lopez nodded. "See you in the morning," she added as she left the room.

Santana hugged Brittany from behind. "Nervous?"

"A little," Brittany admitted. "But I'll be okay. I've got you and Quinn."

"If the Unholy Trinity can't do it, no one can," Santana replied.


	16. Chapter 16

Brittany's alarm jolted her awake. It felt like she had just fallen asleep, and all of a sudden, it was morning. Brittany looked at the clock and did the math; four hours of sleep. She sighed and pulled her tired body out of bed and into the bathroom. As she showered, she gave her self a pep talk. It's just nerves, she thought. She had so much trouble falling asleep last night. She tossed and turned, worried that everything she and Quinn and Santana reviewed would be forgotten the second she walked into the summer school classroom. It's just nerves, she reminded herself.

Brittany dressed and grabbed her backpack and crept across the hall to Santana's room. Inside, Santana was on her back, arms splayed, snoring away as usual. Brittany gave her a peck on the forehead. Santana didn't stir. Her snoring tempo never faltered. In the kitchen, Brittany found the coffee pot hot and full, but no sign of Mrs. Lopez. She poured herself a cup, and went to the fridge for milk. As she reached for the milk, she noticed a brown paper lunch bag with her name written in beautiful script. She pulled it out and opened it on the kitchen counter. Inside were, a sandwich, an apple, a snack pack of cookies and a note. Brittany pulled the note out and unfolded it. She took a sip from her coffee cup and grimace. She forgot the milk and sugar. Once her coffee was to her liking, she returned her attention to the note.

_Brittany,_

_ Have a great first day at school. I know you'll do fine._

_ Love,_

_ Maribel_

Brittany sighed and smiled and put the note in her backpack. He finished her coffee, ate her bowl of Lucky Charms and headed out the front door. As she approached her car, she saw a note under her windshield wiper. She pulled it out and pouted at the black marks the wipers left. She sat in her car and read it.

_Britt-Britt,_

_ You're a genius Britt. Don't forget that._

_ I love you._

_ Santana_

Brittany slipped the note in her backpack with the one from Maribel and looked up at the Lopez home and smiled. She wondered how she ever got so lucky to have such a wonderful second family.

It was mid-morning when Sue Sylvester strolled down the empty hallways of William McKinley High School. She passed empty classroom upon empty classroom. She heard the murmurs of the summer school chemistry teacher. Sue looked through the meshed glass window of the classroom door and nodded with proud smirk. There was Brittany, diligently taking notes. Her Koosh pen wiggled, her tongue peeked out between her lips in concentration, as she listened to the teacher.

Santana's ring tone tore through her sound sleep. Santana blindly reached for her phone and answered the call.

Quinn heard a grunt through her cell phone and she chuckled. "It's 10 Santana," Quinn stated plainly.

"Fuuuuuck. Why you callin' me?" Santana whined.

"I was checking in on you. Thought you'd be up pacing waiting for Brittany to call and tell you about her classes," Quinn explained.

"I finally passed out around 6," Santana confessed.

Quinn nodded into the phone. She understood. She was nervous for Brittany too.

"Come keep me company. There's no one here."

"I'm not getting out of bed," Santana sighed.

"Get your ass over here. I already texted Brittany to come here when she's done with school."

"I'll see you in 30."

Quinn saw the bags under Santana's eyes when she removed her sunglasses in the bookstore.

"You look like shit," Quinn said, handing Santana a cappuccino. "It's a triple shot."

"Thanks," Santana whispered.

Quinn led Santana to the end of the counter and offered up a stool. Santana sat and sipped. And sighed. And sipped. She leaned her head back against some hardcover books on the shelf behind her. Quinn sat and waited for the caffeine to kick in and bring Santana half way back to life.

"So, why did you wake me up again?" Santana asked.

"I was bored," Quinn shrugged.

"I hate you," Santana grumbled.

"I'm sure you do. And that's why you're sitting here with me keeping me company," Quinn replied.

Santana huffed into her mug. "I couldn't sleep."

Quinn nodded. "I'm nervous for her too."

"Think she'll pass?" Santana asked.

"I think Brittany can do anything she puts her mind to. I mean, she waited for you, didn't she?"

Santana chucked. "And people think I'm the stubborn one."

* * *

The doorbell chimed, alerting Quinn of a customer. Santana looked away from her book and down at her phone: 2pm. Brittany.

Santana walked quickly to the front of the store and saw Quinn talking animatedly with Brittany. Santana shoved Quinn out of the way and hugged Brittany. Brittany took a step back to steady herself from the crushing hug.

"I missed you too?" Brittany chuckled, rubbing Santana's back.

"How did go?" Santana asked as she pulled away to study her girlfriend's face; looking for signs of disappointment.

"Not bad. All of Quinn's reviewing really paid off. And Lit was fine. You did great honey. Both of you actually. It's not as scary as I thought," Brittany grinned.

"Helps that these are your only two classes. Between Cheerios, Glee Club and all your other classes, something was bound to give last year," Quinn reasoned.

Brittany nodded. Santana couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

"I'm so glad it was good Britt," Santana said, giving Brittany a kiss.

"It was only the first day," Brittany reminded her. "But we got right into the work and so far, my brain hasn't exploded. So I have hope."

"Do you know anyone in your classes?" Quinn asked, walking them back to the table where their tutoring session would be for the afternoon.

"I don't know anyone except one kid. He was in my mechanic class sophomore year," Brittany shrugged. "But we just nodded to each other. Not like we're friends."

Quinn raised a questioning brow.

"My dad was sick of paying to fix my bike. He said, if I was going to do motor cross I had to fix it myself," Brittany reminded her.

"Mechanic Brittany is hot," Santana teased, rubbing her hand down Brittany's arm.

"You just like to get all the grease off me," Brittany joked.

"I think it's time Britt and I start our tutoring session," Quinn suggested, interrupting Santana's flirting.

Santana scowl only lasted a second, before she relented. Quinn reviewed Brittany's notes and they talked over what was coming up for the rest of the week. Santana kept herself busy surfing the web on her laptop and judging Quinn's coworker's outfit after he came in to relieve her.

The week carried on much as it did Monday. Brittany went to school, Santana hung out with Quinn at the bookstore. Quinn helped Brittany with Chemistry, then Santana and Brittany would study English Literature in the evening. Every Friday Brittany had a test in Chemistry and English on the week's work. Thursday evening, both Quinn and Santana were huddled around the kitchen counter, watching Brittany work through equations and talk about themes and character motivation in _MacBeth_.

"I'm not going to pass with you two hovering over me. You're making me nervous," Brittany complained.

Maribel entered the kitchen and gave both Santana and Quinn a light smack on the back of their heads.

"Come on you two. Leave her alone," Maribel demanded as she walked toward the back door.

Quinn and Santana followed her outside and sat in the patio chairs with Mrs. Lopez.

"You've been spending a lot of time at the bookstore Santana," Maribel remarked. "You should work there."

"That's what I said," Quinn replied. "But Santana has an aversion to customer service."

"People are jerks. They're all entitled, thinking you're practically their book slave. It's disrespectful," Santana reasoned.

"That was only one customer. And it was Coach Sylvester, so what did you expect? Look, you already spend the whole day there with me, you might as well get paid for it. Jimmy is leaving in a couple of weeks for Magic Camp."

"Which one is Jimmy?" Maribel asked

"The one who buttons his shirt up all the way and tucks in his sweater vest. I mean, he's really just a vertical Artie," Santana grimaced.

"Be nice Santana," Maribel chided. "Quinn, what do you mean 'Magic Camp'?"

"Oh it's a summer camp for kids that want to learn magician stuff. Magic tricks. There's a club for it at school."

"Wow, and I thought Glee Club was the bottom of the barrel. Those guys are so lame, I didn't even know that club existed," Santana chuckled.

Maribel sent Santana a warning glare. It was a silent, 'What did I say about being nice?'

Santana sat silently contemplating working at the bookstore. I would be good for her to earn some money this summer, before moving to New York. She wouldn't have to tap into her New York money. It wasn't at the mall, so that was a big bonus. She actually liked reading and the coffee was free. Plus, having Quinn as a co-worker wouldn't suck.

"How much does it pay?" Santana asked.

"$8.50 an hour," Quinn replied with a smile.

Santana did some quick math in her head.

"Fine. I'll do it," Santana relented.

"You have to apply first," Quinn teased. "I'll talk to my boss, and let her know you'll be applying and I'll make sure I lie and tell her you're _super_ helpful."

Santana reached over and smacked her arm. "I can be helpful if I want."

"Well you're getting paid to be helpful, so you better want to. We're doing some inventory and moving some sections around too this summer, so you may be doing more physical labor than explaining to distraught parents that _Fifty Shades of Grey_, though written for adults, will not be wrapped in brown paper and hidden behind the counter." Quinn explained.

"I love that parents think one book in a store is going to ruin their children. I mean, have they seen the internet? If they want to worry about something, worry about the porn and smut there," Santana reasoned. "That shit is insane."

"Is that so?" Maribel asked.

She gulped then tried to shrug it off. "I've heard, you know, from…people."

Maribel just shook her head and stifled a smile. The older Santana got, the worse a liar she became.

"Are you staying for dinner Quinn? It's just leftovers, but you're welcome to stay," Maribel offered.

"I'd like that, thanks. I already warned my mom that we'd be working late helping Brittany prepare for her test tomorrow."

After dinner, Quinn helped Santana quiz Brittany on _MacBeth_. After Quinn left, Brittany talked to her family and was glad to hear her grandmother was continuing to slowly get better. Brittany decided to go to bed early, and get as plenty of sleep before her exams. Santana was too nervous for Brittany to sleep, so she ended up in the living room idly flipping through TV channels. Maribel soon joined her on the couch. She took the remote from Santana's hand and turned the TV off.

"So, you're actually going to get a job for the summer?" Maribel asked.

Santana shrugged. "I need a distraction. I don't have anything to do and I need the money for New York."

"You don't think the graduation money is enough?" Maribel asked.

"It might be, but I just want to be sure. And Dad's taking us to New York when he gets back to look at apartments. I just have a feeling I'm going to need every dime I can get to afford it," Santana admitted.

Maribel gave Santana's hand a squeeze. "You're doing great. I'm proud of you. I think you worry too much, but it's good to see you getting prepared. It's hard work living on your own."

"But I won't be alone. I have Britt," Santana smiled.

"Yes, but you always do the work of two people when you get worried. Don't forget, Brittany is going to work too, and split the bills with you."

"I know," Santana forced a smile. "But that still might not be enough. I don't want us to be constantly struggling and worrying about how to pay for everything."

Maribel quietly laughed. "Oh sweetheart. It took your father and I _years_ to stop worrying about that, so you might as well get used to the idea."

Santana frowned. "It thought you were supposed to make me feel better."

"Look, you're going to make mistakes. It's going to be tough the first few months you're there. Learning a new city, working, taking classes, and then things will settle down. All your planning in the world, though smart and admirable, doesn't always measure up to reality, and I want you to be prepared for that. That's all. Moms aren't always supposed to make their daughters feel better. Most of our job is simply loving you and teaching you everything we can, so you can go off on your own and make your own life. I want you to be happy Santana. Of course I do. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't give you a few healthy doses of reality."

Friday morning Brittany ran Chemistry formulas in her head while she showered. She talked herself though _MacBeth_ symbolism as she picked up her backpack and headed downstairs. Her mental test review suddenly halted as did her feet, when she arrived in the kitchen to find Santana cooking at the stove. She was still in her pajamas and the "Kiss the Cook" apron was a nice addition to the outfit.

"What are you doing?" Brittany asked as she sidled up next to Santana.

"Making you breakfast. Scrambled eggs. Just how you like them," Santana explained, giving Brittany a kiss on the cheek.

"I usually have cereal," Brittany replied. "You don't have to…"

"Eggs are brain food Britt. You need the extra boost for your test today."

"You don't think I'll pass?" Brittany asked, a little offended.

"No, no, of course not. Of course you'll pass," Santana soothed. "I just thought it would be nice to make you a good breakfast. Keep your energy up. Eggs are just going to keep those smart brain cells of yours going."

Brittany nodded and smiled, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Did you sleep well?"

Santana shrugged. "Sure."

"Liar."

Santana sighed and brushed it off. "I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind," Santana said as she put a plate of eggs on the table in front of Brittany.

"Like what?" Brittany asked between mouthfuls.

"New York, job, apartment, money…you know, the usual."

"We'll find a place. April will get you a job. I'll be working too. We'll be fine Santana. Promise," Brittany grinned, her cheeks full of food.

Santana forced a smile at Brittany's optimism. "Anyway, we can talk about it later. All I want you thinking about is Chemistry and _MacBeth_ right now."

Brittany straightened up and gave Santana an exaggerated salute. "Yes ma'am."

Brittany walked into the bookstore and saw Quinn handing over a bag of purchased books to a customer.

"Hey Quinn!" Brittany greeted.

"Hey Britt, how did the tests go?"

"Not bad. There were a few things I didn't know. But I'm sure I got like, 75% of them right," Brittany replied with a smile. "Where's Santana?"

"Back there with my boss," Quinn pointed.

Brittany saw Santana with her arms folded, nodding and gesturing toward a corner of bookcases.

"What are they doing?" Brittany asked.

"My boss is renovating the store. Well, moving sections around and putting in some new shelving. She showed Santana the plans and asked her opinion. They haven't stopped talking for the past two hours," Quinn rolled her eyes.

Brittany giggled. "Well, Santana is a planner."

"And opinionated," Quinn smirked.

Brittany snuck up behind Santana and listened to Santana and Quinn's boss debate how many religions the "Spirituality" section should have and where to put it.

"Book nerd," Brittany whispered in Santana's ear from behind.

Santana's speech stumbled mid-sentence. Quinn's boss chuckled.

"Britt," Santana smiled and turned. "Um, sorry, this is Jill, Quinn's boss. We were just…"

"Santana was helping me rearrange the bookstore. She is quite the planner. She's got some good ideas," Jill praised.

"She's the best girlfriend ever," Brittany grinned giving Santana a peck on the cheek.

Santana stiffened and turned shy all of a sudden.

Jill leaned in and lowered her voice to Santana. "I know and I don't care," she said with a knowing smile.

Santana let a breath out, "Sorry, it's just that you never know and…"

"I told you, you were hired an hour ago to help me work on this project for the next month. I'll see you here Monday, 9am sharp," Jill said as she turned and went to the office.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and demands for updates. Work is better and I'm back from being literally off the grid for the weekend. Mama Lopez loves you and just wants you to be happy my glitter-filled unicorn readers! Enjoy! Oh and gleeeeeeeek89 - may your tits now be calm.

* * *

Santana and Brittany were still in their pajamas, eating cereal and watching Saturday morning cartoons on the couch, when Mrs. Lopez walked over to the front door.

"I'm leaving for my salon appointment," Maribel called.

Santana grunted an acknowledgement.

"Don't forget, today you're…"

"Doing chores, we know," Santana answered.

"And tomorrow, I need you to…"

"Grocery shopping and weekly meal planning," Brittany chimed in.

Maribel sighed and shook her head at herself. "See you in a couple hours girls," Maribel said as she left the house.

Brittany put her empty cereal bowl down on the coffee table and wiped a drop of milk from her chin. She sat back and watched Santana watch cartoons. That got boring after 30 seconds, so Brittany reached over and took Santana's bowl out of her hands and set in on the table next to hers.

"Hey, I wasn't finished," Santana pouted.

Brittany slid her right arm around Santana's shoulders and leaned into to kiss her neck and peppered feather-light kisses along the shell of her ear.

"Your mom is gone," she whispered and pulled Santana's earlobe into her mouth.

Santana twisted into Brittany, pulling her ear from her girlfriend's lips and replaced it with her own mouth.

"Two hours," Santana said between kisses.

Brittany just nodded, turned off the TV, and leaned into Santana more, pushing her onto her back. Brittany ran her hand up Santana's side tickling Santana.

"Britt, that tickles," Santana chuckled.

"Sorry," Brittany said between kisses. "I was trying to be gentle, and not all grabby," she smiled into another kiss and worked her lips down Santana's neck.

Santana arched into Brittany's tongue on her neck. "You can be firm and gentle," Santana replied, sitting up.

Brittany pouted.

"Here. Let me," Santana said, turning them over and sitting up, her knees on either side of Brittany's right leg. "Besides," Santana continued, "there's entirely way too much talking."

Brittany smirked as Santana slid Brittany's sleep shirt up and it gathered underneath her breasts. Santana knelt down and slowly kissed Brittany's stomach. She worked her way along the top of Brittany's shorts and up her ribs to where her shirt bunched. Brittany ran her fingers lazily through Santana's hair, and sighed, enjoying every soft, wet kisses Santana gave. Brittany pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it behind the couch and half way across the living room.

"Someone's eager," Santana smiled and cupped the sides of Brittany's breasts, kissing and lightly sucking the soft flesh, purposefully avoiding her nipples. Brittany arched her back, and shifted slightly.

"No teasing," Brittany whispered.

Brittany felt Santana smile against her, then run her tongue over one nipple and her thumb over the other. Brittany let out a moan of gratitude. She swung her left leg over Santana's back and pulled in, encouraging Santana to lie down and press completely into her. Santana resisted and instead sat up on her knees more and pulled her own shirt off, tossing it somewhere near Brittany's discarded top. Brittany's hand slid up the outside of Santana's thigh and her eyes dropped from Santana's face to her chest. Santana loved the joy behind the desire in Brittany's eyes. It always made her heart do a little flip to see how being with her made Brittany so happy.

Santana leaned down and slipped her fingers into the waistband of Brittany's sleep shorts. She slid them down slowly, kissing her hipbone, the crease at the top of her thigh, all the way down the inside of her leg to her ankle. Santana's eyes drifted between Brittany's spread thighs. Pink and swollen and wet.

"God, you're beautiful," Santana whispered.

Brittany smiled softly, but couldn't resist a teasing, "My eyes are up here," she whispered.

Santana slowly met Brittany's gaze, taking her time to let her eyes wander up her girlfriend's body. "Uh huh," Santana smiled. She started to lie down on top of Brittany, but Brittany put her hand to Santana's shoulder.

"You too," Brittany said, looking at Santana still in her own sleep shorts.

Santana stood up between the coffee table and couch and slid her shorts and underwear down her hips and let them drop to the floor. She picked them up and gave them an enthusiastic toss toward the front door.

"Much better," Brittany praised. "Now come here," she said, her arms and legs opening to make room for Santana to lie down on top of her.

Santana knelt between Brittany's thighs and leaned down, brushing her breasts on Brittany's hips, all the way up her stomach until they met Brittany's. Brittany held a breath, then let out a shaky sigh as she felt the soft warm weight of Santana's breasts run up her body. Brittany wrapped her arms around the small of Santana's back and her legs around the back of her thighs. They both let out a relieved sigh.

"You feel so, so good," Santana cooed in Brittany's ear.

"You too," Brittany replied and squeezed Santana tighter to her body. She wanted to feel every inch of Santana's skin touching her skin.

Mrs. Lopez was 10 minutes into her drive to her appointment when she stopped off at the bank to get some cash from the ATM. She opened up her purse and found her phone, lipstick, checkbook, but no wallet.

"Dammit," she sighed to herself. "Every time I switch purses I forget something."

Maribel got back in her car and headed home to retrieve her wallet. No doubt still in her other purse in the hall closet. She pulled into her driveway and walked up to the front porch, pausing to inspect the rose bush near the steps. She gripped the doorknob, turned it and walked into the house. Two steps into the house, she stepped on pajama shorts twisted up with a pair of underwear.

"What the…" Maribel thought to herself.

She heard, "Yes there," moaned from across the living room. Maribel looked over to the back of the couch. All she could see was blonde hair cascading over one armrest and a long pale leg was stretched along the top of the couch, muscles flexing back and forth.

"Are they…?" Maribel questioned to herself.

"I love you so much," could be heard from behind the couch, followed by breathy gasps and sighs and whines definitely answered that question. The rhythmic squeaks and creaks of the leather cushions confirmed it.

Her mouth dropped open in shock that quickly turned into embarrassed discomfort. Maribel clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. After a few moments she realized this was not going to get her wallet or herself out of the house, which is what she really wanted right now. Maribel swiftly fished her wallet out of her purse in the closet and snuck back out the front door. She jogged to her car and pulled back out of the driveway and back towards her salon appointment.

As she drove, Maribel let out a calming breath and attempted to get those stubborn images and sounds out of her head. Her initial shock and discomfort slowly transformed into a resigned sigh.

"I wasn't gone 20 minutes," Maribel said aloud, shaking her head. "Jesus Mary and Joseph."

* * *

Maribel returned home to a quiet house. She dropped her purse near the front door and slumped down on the couch. She then immediately got up from the couch after remembering what transpired there not two hours ago. She stood and looked at her leather couch with the rumple throw and cushions askew. She shooed Lord Tubbington off her husband's favorite chair, sat down, and turned on the TV.

She heard a squeal from the laundry room and saw Santana sprint around the corner into the living room, with Brittany right behind her, pinching at Santana's bottom. Brittany caught up to Santana and hugged from behind. Santana leaned her head back onto Brittany's shoulder and closed her eyes. She hummed a smile and kissed Brittany on the cheek.

"Oh hi Mrs. L," Brittany greeted, startling Santana out of her Brittany-induced haze.

"Mama, we didn't hear you come in."

"I can see that," Mrs. Lopez smirked. "Getting any laundry done?"

"Yeah, two loads already," Brittany answered. "I ran out of underwear."

Maribel smoothed the creases in her slacks and straightened her shirt. Brittany cocked her head, a little confused by Mrs. Lopez's apparent discomfort.

"Was that TMI?" Brittany asked.

"TMI?" Maribel asked.

"Too much information," Brittany explained. "About not having any clean underwear left."

"Oh, no sweetheart. No, it's fine. As good a reason as any to do laundry," Maribel replied.

Santana grabbed the throw off the couch and straightened the cushions.

Mrs. Lopez raised an eyebrow to her daughter holding what she now saw as the "sex throw".

"Thought I'd put this in the wash too. You know…cat hair," Santana explained, pulling Brittany with her back to the laundry room.

"Good idea," Maribel thought.

Maribel poured herself a glass of wine and walked out to the back porch to clear her head.

"What is wrong with me?" Maribel thought. "They're 18, they're 18, they're 18," she repeated the mantra in her head. "It's completely normal. Totally natural. You knew they've been having sex for ages. This is_ not_ a big deal."

She swallowed half her wine and hit her speed dial. Mrs. Pierce answered the phone.

"Hi Maribel, how are you?" Mrs. Pierce greeted.

"Hey Susan. I'm okay. Had better days. But before we get into that, how's your Mom?"

"Getting better day by day. I think we'll have her good enough that we can come back for Brittany's graduation."

Maribel could hear Susan smiling through the phone.

"Oh that's wonderful news," Maribel replied.

"So why aren't you having such a good day?" Susan asked. "I talked to Brittany last night, and she's doing well in school and Santana got a summer job. Sounds like you've got those two whipped into shape," Susan praised.

Maribel chuckled. "Well, a little structure and a few threats go along way. But honestly, they're just really motivated. They're growing up so fast," Maribel lamented the last words.

"What's the matter? What happened? You don't sound too happy about them," Susan pressed.

"No, no, it's not them, it's me," Maribel quickly corrected. "I…they…ugh. Have you ever…you know…walked _in_ on them?"

Susan laughed long and hard. Maribel huffed in annoyance.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Mrs. Pierce recovered from her delight. "Sorry. It's just I'm glad you now share my pain."

"So you have."

"No, that pleasure goes to her father. Last Spring. I told Rory to get Brittany and Santana for dinner and he came down without them. I asked him if they were coming down and he just stared at his dinner plate. I didn't think. I sent my husband up to get them. He wasn't thinking either. I mean, we knew about them, but it's not like we _think_ about it. He just barged into Brittany's room all ready to yell at them for letting their dinner get cold, and well…at least they were under the covers," Susan chuckled. "Well, Santana was."

"He came down red faced and quiet. I asked him if they were coming down and he just shook his head and played with his food. Brittany and Santana came down a few minutes later. Santana made a bee-line for the front door and left. Brittany just sat across from her father and picked at her dinner.

"I had no clue. I asked what was going on and Brittany just gave this pleading look to her Dad. He just straightened up, put on a fake smile and said everything was fine. It wasn't until we had gone to bed that he told me what he walked in on. Poor guy," Susan sighed.

Maribel smiled. "It's just that…yes, they're 18. They're dating. We know they have sex. We have a good rule in the house, which is don't do it when I'm in the house."

"Oh that is a good rule. I should use that one," Susan chimed in.

"Thanks, yeah, and they respected that," Maribel continued.

"But then how did you walk in on them?"

"I forgot my wallet in my other purse," Maribel explained.

"Every time I change purses…" Susan agreed.

"Exactly. Anyway, I was supposed to be gone for two hours, but came back after 20 minutes and…well…"

"They didn't waste anytime," Susan commented. "Did they see you?"

"No, no they didn't. I mean; _I_ didn't _see_ anything really. They were on the couch, but I _heard_…"

"…everything," Susan said.

"I need another glass of wine," Maribel sighed.

"They weren't…I mean…was it that bad?" Susan pressed. "Loud?" Susan cringed at the thought.

"Yes, well no. No. If they weren't our daughters I'd say they were…:

"…they're in love," Susan said.

"Yes, and they were expressing that very…intensely." Maribel grumbled.

"Well it could be worse," Susan offered.

"How?"

"You could've heard them before you even got in the house."

"Don't you dare put that image in my head!" Maribel chided half jokingly. "That's not fair. I mean, yesterday, they came home still covered in the ice cream they got celebrating Santana's summer job. _Ice cream_! This morning they were eating sugary cereal and watching cartoons in their pajamas. They looked like they were eight not 18. Then not 20 minutes later they were...Ugh...I know that they're adults, but…It's like they're not our babies anymore."

"They're still our babies," Susan corrected. "They always will be. Even when they're married and paying a mortgage and carpooling their own kids."

"It's so hard sometimes. I mean, in my head, I'm totally fine, but my heart. It just wants to fight me," Maribel gave a resigned chuckle.

"You're doing a great job Maribel. Believe me. I wouldn't trust Brittany to anyone but you…and Santana."

"Really?" Maribel was honestly touched.

"Really. I may give Santana a hard time once and a while."

"_Once_ in a while?" Maribel teased.

"Okay, okay, a lot, but you know it's because I know she's great for Brittany and I like to keep her on her toes," Susan admitted.

"You're doing a great job," Mrs. Lopez replied. "Because of you, she' s helping Brittany study, got a summer job and probably has one lined up for New York. It's like she's studying for some invisible final exam with you."

"Well, I did, maybe suggest some consequences…" Susan confided.

Maribel finished her conversation with Mrs. Pierce and went to check in on Brittany and Santana. She looked into the laundry room and there was Santana slowly breaking away from kissing Brittany. She was smiling, her eyes closed as she rubbed her nose up against Brittany's. They murmured "I love you".

Mrs. Lopez slipped quietly away.

"They're 18. They're 18. They're 18," she muttered to herself as she ascended the stairs to her room.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Sorry this chapter took a while. Had to do a re-write. Let me just say, holy crap you guys are awesome. Your comments are priceless! So glad this story is resonating with you. Big sloppy wet kisses to you all! Mama Lopez loves you!

* * *

Maribel walked out of the den holding her laptop open as she entered the kitchen. She set the laptop down near the stove and poured herself a cup of coffee. Santana and Brittany never looked up as they sat at the kitchen island working on their weekly meal planning and grocery list. Dr. Lopez sat quietly watching through the Skype chat. Santana flipped through a flyer and Brittany was concentrating on cutting a coupon.

"Do we have a coupon for this?" Santana pointed to the flyer, looking over at Brittany's growing pile of neatly clipped coupons.

Brittany sifted through them. "Yep!" she said with a smile, and wrote something on the list.

Santana looked over at the list. "Britt, Lucky Charms were on sale last week, we can't get it this week. It has to be on sale or we need a coupon if we're going to keep in the budget," she explained.

Brittany pursed her lips and sighed. "I can try the store brand. That's cheap, right?"

Santana nodded and made a note.

"They grow up so fast," Dr. Lopez whispered through Skype.

Santana's head snapped up from the sales flyer.

"Papi! Mama, why didn't you tell me you were Skype-ing Dad?" Santana said with a big grin, walking over to the laptop.

"Hey sweetie," Dr. Lopez greeted, blowing a kiss to Santana.

"When are you coming home?" Brittany asked.

"Next week," Dr. Lopez smiled. "How's school going Brittany?"

"So far so good," Brittany replied. "I get my first grades back tomorrow."

"Nervous?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"A little," Brittany shrugged with a small smile.

"Well I know you'll do fine. And remember, I'm taking you two to New York when I get back. Got that list of apartments ready?"

"I printed it out yesterday," Santana said. "It's sitting on my desk."

"And the job?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Haven't heard from April yet," Santana frowned.

"I have to call and set it up with the shelter when we know the dates for sure," Brittany added.

"Don't' you have something at that school too?" Maribel asked.

"Yep," Brittany nodded. "I'll call them too. Just give me the dates Dr. Lopez and I'll be ready."

"I'm checking flights tonight. I'll email you."

"Okay ladies. I have to get going," Dr. Lopez sighed.

"It's Sunday Dr. Lopez. They make you work on a Sunday?"

"A doctor's work is never done Brittany," Dr. Lopez said with a tired smile.

"Don't let him fool you Brittany. He's got a brunch date with his anesthesiologist buddy," Maribel smirked.

"You're ruining the mystique," her husband chided.

"Please, you lost that years ago baby. Now go enjoy your mimosas like a good hard working doctor," Maribel teased.

* * *

Santana arrived at the bookstore Monday morning in jeans, a t-shirt and her Doc Marten boots.

"Wow, really embracing your inner butch today," Quinn teased.

Santana gave Quinn a pointed look over her sunglasses and a middle finger for good measure.

"Those gayviators are an especially nice touch," Quinn smirked and handed Santana a cappuccino.

"This better be…"

"…a triple shot, yes it is," Quinn smiled.

"Jill's waiting for you in the back. The guys got started on the bookcases already."

"Guys?" Santana asked as she took a sip from her coffee.

"Yeah, a couple of guys building some more shelves and refurbishing some old ones. It's not much. I think they'll be done in a few days," Quinn explained.

Santana walked back to Jill's office and saw her discussing plans with a man in his late 50s and his college-aged assistant.

"Santana, great! Glad you're here," Jill greeted. "This is Rich, our carpenter for the next few days."

Santana reached out to shake Rich's hand. He hesitated, just for second, and gave her a quick grip with his calloused, saw-dusted hand. He gave her a nod, and turned to introduce the younger man.

"Uh, this is my nephew Pete. He's gonna be helping me." Rich said with a hard slap to Pete's shoulder.

Pete winced and gave a nervous smile to Santana, "Nice to meet you."

Santana could barely get her obligatory, "Yeah you too," when Jill pulled at her arm.

Jill walked Santana around the back of the store pointing out the specific cases that needed to be emptied and which sections went to Quinn for re-categorizing. It was a good review for the discussion they had last week. Jill brought out three v-carts from the storage room.

"If you need anything, give me a shout," Jill said as she left and walked into her office.

Santana stood with her hands on her hips, taking in all the books she had to move.

"That's a lot of fuckin' books," she said under her breath.

Santana got to work and spent the morning stacking books and taking them to Quinn or other parts of the store for temporary storage. Pete and Rich were in and out most of the morning. They had a mobile workstation set up in the alley behind the store and Rich or Pete would be in to check measurements and assemble pieces of the shelves and check in with Jill.

As she pulled books off the shelves and stacked them onto the carts, she could feel Rich staring at her from behind. She caught him looking at her twice with an expression she couldn't quite place. She had half a mind to yell at him about it. Thankfully the other half of her mind thought it was best if she didn't get fired before lunch on her first day.

Santana rolled another stack of books up to Quinn near the register.

"How's it going?" Quinn asked.

"Not bad. I'm about half way done with the second section. So I think I'm doing okay," Santana replied as she stretched her arm and shoulder.

"Getting a workout?"

"It's a lot of fuckin' books Q. And they're heavy," Santana complained.

"Well, it's about time for lunch, so you get to rest up. You going out for lunch?"

"Nah, I brought it," Santana said, reaching for her backpack behind the counter.

Quinn raised an eyebrow and chuckled as Santana pulled out a brown paper sack from her bag.

"What?" Santana frowned.

"In the four years I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you with a bag lunch."

"Mom left it for me this morning," Santana shrugged. "I think she's taking tips from Judy and trying to cram in every little bit of mothering she can before I move."

"Good, now you can feel some of my pain," Quinn smiled. "Come on, let's sit outside. It's too nice to be stuck inside all day."

"Mama's getting a little clingy. She hasn't lost her damn mind like Judy," Santana said, poking Quinn in the arm with her elbow as they walked to the back of the store.

Pete was sitting on his lunch cooler eating a sandwich when Quinn and Santana came outside. Pete stood up cleared the lumber off two milk crates and offered them as seats.

"Thanks Pete," Santana smiled.

He just smiled and nodded back.

Pete reminded Santana of Sam. Except Pete had red hair and glasses and he didn't have a trouty mouth. He had an athletic build like Sam, but Santana guessed that came from carpentry rather than sports. He was more obviously nerdy than Sam. He had a quiet, awkward sweet way about him that Santana liked.

"Pete!" Rich yelled from behind his pick up truck. "Pete!"

Pete swallowed his bite of sandwich, "Yeah Uncle Rich?"

"I have to run some errands," Rich called, walking from behind the truck toward them. "Oh hi Quinn," Rich greeted.

"Richard," Quinn said in a voice too sweet to be genuine. Santana took notice.

"Will we be seeing you at the church picnic next weekend?"

"My mom will be there, but I have plans with Santana," Quinn feigned disappointment.

"Oh, okay. I…uh…didn't know you two were friends," Rich lifted the cap off his head and scratched his scalp.

"Oh yeah, we're _really_ close," Quinn said with a smile. "Best friends."

Rich frowned, and shoved his hand in his pocket and fished out his keys. "Ok then, well, I'll be back in a couple hours. Gotta get some supplies. Pete can handle this while I'm gone, right Pete?"

"Got it covered," Pete assured him.

When Rich drove out of sight, Santana turned to Quinn.

"What was that all about? And when did we make plans?"

"I'm not a fan of Rich. No offense Pete," Quinn quickly amended.

"None taken," Pete smiled and shook his head.

"So why aren't you a fan?" Santana prodded.

Quinn paused and studied her sandwich. "He helped out on Salazar's campaign."

Santana nodded, then shrugged. "I'm sure a lot of people in Lima did. What makes him so special?"

"He volunteered _after_ the ad aired. Tried to get me and my mom and a bunch of other people at our church to help too."

Santana pursed her lips, and let out a calming breath.

"Did he get people to volunteer?"

Quinn smirked with satisfaction, "Nope."

She nodded and gave a quick glance over at Pete.

"I voted for Burt," Pete said with a proud smile.

Santana chuckled with a sense of thanks and relief and finally opened her lunch bag.

"What did your mom give you?"

Santana pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, string cheese and a bag of Sour Patch Kid candies.

"Brittany…" Santana practically melted.

"It's disgusting how cute you two are, you know that?" Quinn shook her head.

"Someone packed your lunch for you?" Pete teased.

"Watch it Weasley. You're already on thin ice for being related to Rich," Santana warned with smirk and a playful glare.

"Just because we're related, doesn't mean we're family," Pete said.

* * *

The front door chimed and Quinn looked up from the computer to give a quick smile hello.

"Brittany! Hey, how did you do on the tests?"

Brittany shrugged, and swung her backpack off her shoulder and opened it up. She dug her hand deep into the bag and pulled out two crumpled papers, and handed them over to Quinn. Quinn bit the corner of her bottom lip and slowly unfolded the papers, fearing the worst.

Santana saw Brittany handing papers to Quinn as she approached the front counter with what felt like the 100th v-cart of books. She searched Brittany and Quinn's faces for clues. Santana looked between both of them with an expectant look. Neither Quinn nor Brittany reacted.

"Well!? How did you do?" Santana asked.

Brittany heard the nervousness in her voice and the worry on her face. Santana's expression fluctuated between her "Brave-Supportive Face" and "Oh God Prepare for Impending Doom Face". Quinn handed over the papers and Santana snatched them to quickly scan for the grades: 85 on her Chemistry test and an 87 on her Literature test. She let out a breath of relief and gave Brittany a bear hug.

"I knew you could do it," Santana whispered in her ear, as she squeezed Brittany tighter. "I'm so proud of you."

Brittany closed her eyes and let out a little hum. She broke away from Santana's hug.

"Well, thanks to you guys, it looks like I can be a "B" student. Who knew?" Brittany grinned with pride.

"You put in the work Britt, we just helped," Quinn replied.

"Yeah, well looks like I helped better, because, hello," Santana gloated, waving the Literature test in Quinn's direction.

"Tutoring isn't a competition Santana," Quinn admonished.

"Say's who?" Santana quipped with devious self-satisfaction.

* * *

Santana entered her house and was greeted with smell of her favorite dish. She dropped her bag at the door and found her mother in the kitchen, stirring the _ropa_ _vieja_.

"Mmmm, smells good Mama," Santana said, as she gave Maribel a hug from behind. "But I thought it was my turn to cook dinner tonight?"

"I thought I'd give you a break, since it was your first day at work," Maribel replied, turning to greet Santana with a kiss on the forehead. Maribel pursed her lips, "You worked hard. You've been sweating."

"It's a lot of books Mama. A _lot_ of books," Santana said as she wiped a stray wisp of hair from her face. "I'm going to take a quick shower."

"Good idea," Maribel agreed. "You smell like an honest day's work, and I'm not sure if I want that at the dinner table," Maribel teased.

Santana rolled her eyes and waved off her mother as she left the kitchen.

Brittany was dishing out plates of _ropa vieja_ when Santana returned from her shower.

"Hey, how was Quinn's?" Santana asked, kissing Brittany on the cheek.

"Good," Brittany smiled. "We reviewed my test and worked on stuff for this week."

"It's the last week for _MacBeth_ right?" Maribel asked.

Brittany nodded.

"I already started on _Lord of the Flies_," Santana said. "That'll be a lot easier Britt. You should breeze through that."

Later that evening, Santana closed her copy of _Lord of the Flies_ and looked over at Brittany reading _MacBeth_.

"Hey," Santana softly greeted.

Brittany looked up and smiled, "Hey yourself"

"I'm really proud of you Britt, you know that right?"

Brittany nodded. "Thanks to you and Quinn…"

"No," Santana shook her head. "_You_ did the work. You're _doing_ the work. You're working so hard, and it's just…I'm just really happy, that's all."

"New York is looking a little closer to you now."

Santana nodded, "But I still haven't heard from April and looking for apartments…" Santana sighed.

"Hey, don't be like that," Brittany said, scooting up the bed to snuggle with Santana. "It'll happen. If you believed in yourself half as much as you believe in me…"

Santana smiled weakly. "I'm trying."

"Try harder," Brittany encouraged, and gave her a soft kiss. "It'll happen," Brittany whispered more to herself than Santana. "It'll happen."

Maribel turned off the local 10pm news and went upstairs to get ready for bed. She walked by Brittany's open door and peeked in. Brittany was sitting up in bed reading _MacBeth_, as Santana slept, curled up to Brittany's side, her head nestled between the crook of Brittany's arm and her chest. Brittany smiled up at Maribel, then gave her a worried look, glancing between sleeping Santana and her mother. Maribel raised her hand and shook her head to dismiss any fear Brittany had about breaking the rules. There was no need to wake her. Maribel just smiled, mouthed "Goodnight" and closed the door.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Oooh two weeks without an update. So sorry my faithful readers. Life has a way of getting in the way of writing Mama Lopez love. But she's back! Thanks again for all your reading, reviewing, PMs, favoriting and alerting. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Give yourself a big Mama Lopez-sized hug!

* * *

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Maribel awoke. She slid her feet into her worn, comfortable slippers, and pulled on her robe. As she walked down the hallway, she saw a sliver of light under Brittany's door. Maribel pressed her ear against the door and heard nothing. She knocked lightly. There was no response. Mrs. Lopez carefully turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open. Her daughter was still in the same position she had left her last night. Santana was still dressed, curled up next to Brittany in a deep sleep. Her fist full of Brittany's crumpled shirt rose and fell with Brittany's sleepy breaths. Brittany had fallen asleep with her copy of _MacBeth_ sloppily closed with crumpled pages at her side.

Santana stirred as Maribel closed the door. She heard her mother's faint footsteps descend the stairs as she stretched her cramped hand over Brittany's chest. Santana smiled to herself, despite the pain in her neck and the drool she wiped from her chin. She watched Brittany sleep, half sitting up in the awkward position she had fallen asleep in. Brittany's steady heart beat under Santana's palm. Santana sat up, hand still pressed lightly on Brittany's chest, careful not to disturb her girlfriend. Brittany's arm fell from Santana's waist, and Santana gently placed it over Brittany's rising and falling stomach.

These moments are like church to Santana. Rather, what church is supposed to be like, to the faithful. No worrying about moving or jobs or apartments. There isn't a doubt in her mind. There isn't even a thought in her mind. Watching Brittany sleep, with a soft palm over her heart is like Zen meditation for Santana. It's a rare moment, since Brittany is almost always up before her. But on this rare occasion Santana feels as light as air. Feels at peace with everything in the world. Feels so in love with Brittany.

Santana would've been content to stay there for another hour, but worked called, as did the coffee she could smell wafting up from the kitchen. Santana changed her clothes, freshened up and found her mother packing her lunch in the kitchen.

"You don't have to do that for us you know," Santana smiled.

Maribel shrugged. "Just because I don't have to, doesn't mean I don't want to."

"You been talking to Judy too much, haven't you?" Santana's lips curled into a smirk as she sipped her coffee.

Maribel just rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly, "Of course we talk. We've always talked."

Santana raised her eyebrow, "Since when?"

"Since forever. Since you started Cheerios with Quinn, and her divorce and Beth and the accident and she called just the other week talking about how good you and Brittany were with Quinn and her scars," Maribel smiled.

"It was nothing," Santana slightly shrugged.

"Well it was something to Quinn and especially Judy, so there," Mrs. Lopez asserted.

Santana heard the shower turn on upstairs. "Britt's up," Santana said to herself, as she moved to the fridge and retrieved the carton of eggs.

"You didn't think to make me breakfast while we were talking and I was packing your lunch?" Maribel teased.

"I just finished one cup of coffee Mama, give me a break," Santana shook her head.

"Uh huh," Maribel smiled.

"Shut up," Santana smiled back and began making omelets.

* * *

Santana could hear the squeal of the power saw behind the store, as she continued moving and organizing the sections of books. Aside from the carpentry, it was quiet today without Quinn there. Jill was manning the counter, but there were hardly any customers. Santana wiped the sweat from her brow and checked her phone for the time.

"Thank god for lunch," Santana breathed, standing up and brushing off her pants.

"Oh. My. God," she heard from behind her. There was no mistaking that exasperated high-pitched tone.

"What's the matter Prancy," Santana said not turning around.

"You're wearing cargo pants," Kurt squealed in horror.

Santana put her hands on her hips and turned around. Kurt noticed her eyebrow was arched dangerously high.

"I'm working."

"But you actually…paid money for them. Like, went to the store, tried a few pairs on and when you found ones that fit, actually paid money for them. And to top it all off, you're _wearing_ them."

"Look Tim Gunn, I bought these a couple years ago. Britt asked me to come with her when she got that volunteer job at the animal shelter. And _this_ job means getting dusty and sweaty," Santana explained, wiping her hands on her pant legs again. "So it's these or jeans."

"It's just so…so…butch chic," Kurt was almost at a loss for words.

"Did you just call me butch?" Santana cocked her head and moved so close to Kurt, she almost stepped on his toes.

"I believe I said 'chic'," Kurt smiled back at Santana and right through her show of intimidation.

"Watch yourself Lady Lips, or I'll smack that smirk off your pretty pony face," Santana threatened, then let a smile slowly cross her lips.

"I'd hug you if you weren't all sweaty," Kurt said, stepping back.

"Like I'd let you," Santana laughed dismissively. "So," Santana began as she grabbed her lunch. "What brings you to the bookstore. Shouldn't you be at the tire shop? Or is it spa day?"

"I talked to April," Kurt said, dusting off a café chair and sitting down.

"And?" Santana smiled as she pulled out her sandwich.

"I got the job doing costume work for an off-off Broadway theatre!" Kurt gushed.

"I'm happy for you Kurt," Santana smiled, but forced her enthusiasm. "Congratulations," she nodded.

"I'm _also_ here to tell you to call April. She has a job opening that she wasn't sure you were right for, but I'm going to call her right now and tell her you are," Kurt said, pulling out his phone.

Santana dropped her sandwich and put her hand on Kurt's arm. "Wait, what job?"

"They're renovating a theatre, there's a lot of construction going on and they need an assistant." Kurt explained.

"Assistant what?" Santana asked.

"To the guy running it. Overseeing it."

"Be vaguer Kurt."

"I don't know the specifics. She didn't think you could handle getting dirty, but _obviously_, you've got some cargo pants and Timberlands to go with, so you'll be fine," Kurt winked.

"Quit it with the cargo pants or I'll hack your Facebook and post about how excited you are for the new Sophia Vergara line at K-Mart."

Kurt gasped. "You _wouldn't_."

"One more word Hummel and find out," Santana glared.

"That's…that's like a hate crime," Kurt complained.

"Not. Another. Word," Santana threatened.

"I love Sophia, but…" Kurt whispered and shuddered to himself.

Santana took a few more bites of her lunch and asked, "So you've got the job lined up. Got an apartment yet?"

"No," Kurt sighed. "I'm flying out next week to look at some places that I doubt I can afford even with the full-time job and savings."

"Britts and me are going next week too. She's got some time off of summer school for 4th of July."

"Apartment hunting?" Kurt asked.

Santana nodded. "And job interviews. Britt's got two lined up. And after I talk to April, I'll hopefully have one too," Santana smiled.

"Two?, what's Brittany's secret?" Kurt asked.

Santana shrugged and grinned, "She's Britt."

"Well I've got to get back to the tire shop," Kurt said standing up to leave. "You want to compare apartment lists before we go to New York? I mean, maybe we could meet up there?"

Santana simply smiled and nodded.

Kurt grinned and paused. He looked like he wanted to give Santana a hug. Santana didn't move. She just looked expectantly at him. He opted to pat her on the shoulder as he walked away. Santana turned back to her lunch and smiled, then looked back at Kurt and shook her head. For all the shit she's given him, she really did admire Kurt. Santana admired his strength and truth. She envied him sometimes; that ability to just know and be and live like she couldn't for so long. She had resolved to make up for that. She teased him now like she would a brother. As that last thought crossed her mind, Pete walked into the store through the back door.

"Hey Santana," Pete greeted.

Santana looked up and took in his sawdust-covered, sweat-stained clothes.

"Hey Pete," Santana replied. "Come in to cool off?"

"Yeah," he smiled and walked to get the iced coffee Jill placed at the end of the counter for him. He returned and stood by Santana's table. "You think you can give me a hand when you're done with lunch?"

"Um, sure," Santana replied. "But why me? You've got Rich out there, don't you?"

Pete shook his head. "He took another job, so I'm finishing this one up."

"It's not because…" Santana started; worried Rich was so offended by her gayness he left.

"Oh no. Nothing like that," Pete smiled with reassurance. "He might be a jerk, but he's not a complete asshole. No, he got a long term, better paying job over at the Motta's. They're putting in like, a real library in their house," Pete said, shaking his head at the extravagance. "I'll go help him after I'm done here today."

"You're almost finished?" Santana asked. She looked over at the work she completed and thought it paled in comparison to building new shelves and fixing all the old ones.

"Yep. Just need your help to flip over the last bookcase, so I can finish staining it. Then it's all yours," Pete grinned.

Santana followed Pete out back and took in his worksite. All the sawdust had been swept, a clean mobile workbench sat nearby with a can of wood stain on top, and a half-finished bookcase sat on two collapsible saw horses.

"Ready?" Pete asked, grabbing one end of the bookcase.

Santana nodded and picked up the opposite end. They flipped it easily, if not awkwardly over, placing it gently on the soft padded rails of the sawhorses. Santana ran her fingers of the foam padding.

"So the wood doesn't get marked," Pete explained.

Santana nodded.

"Um, this might be out of line or whatever," Pete said quietly pulling out a paintbrush from his back pocket. "But I'm sorry about the ad. That shouldn't happen to anyone. Ever."

Santana sucked her lip into her mouth and nodded, not lifting her eyes from the bookcase. A little smile crept across her lips. "Thanks," she said, looking up at Pete, nodding again.

Pete gave Santana a little smile, then his face broke out into a big grin.

"Hey honey," Brittany whispered in her ear, as she wrapped her arms around Santana's waist.

The soft warm breath tickling her ear put the sweetest smile on her face. Pete just smiled at them and started staining the bookcase.

"Hey, I didn't think you were coming by," Santana replied, turning in Brittany's embrace to face her.

"School's out. Studying with Quinn. You know, like every other day," Brittany said rolling her eyes.

"Quinn had physical therapy today. She's home. Probably waiting for you," Santana smirked.

"Oops," Brittany whispered, biting her lip.

"You knew that didn't you," Santana said. "You just wanted to come see me," she smiled, tickling at her girlfriend's waist.

Brittany giggled, "Noooo…okay yes, yes. Stop!"

Brittany had her hands on Santana's stilling them at her waist. She looked over Santana's shoulder.

"Hi!" Brittany grinned.

"Hi," Pete waved back with the paintbrush in hand.

"Oh Pete, this is Brittany. Britt, this is Pete," Santana stepped back to introduce them.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry, I can't hang. I have a date with Chemistry and Quinn," Brittany said, pulling Santana in for a hug.

"See you for dinner?" Santana asked, pulling back from the hug.

"Of course," Brittany smiled and gave Santana a quick kiss on the lips.

Pete watched Brittany walk back into the store.

"She's cute," Pete commented.

"And taken," Santana said, turning to face him.

Pete chuckled and shook his head, "Yeah, I got that."

Santana went back inside to finish her work. She spent the rest of the afternoon sorting and stacking and moving and quietly cursing under her breath. Jill brought over the plans for how they're reorganizing the new sections with the new bookcases. It was a nice break for Santana. Plus, it was the planning part she liked. Jill returned to the front of the store to help a customer, and Santana returned to the mountain of books.

Pete poked his head in the back door, "What, you're not finished yet?" he grinned.

Santana slammed down a big stack of books on the floor and looked up to make sure Jill had gone back to the register. She had. Santana raised her middle finger at him.

"Kiss my ass Weasley."

"Ok, it is a nice ass," he happily replied, stepping into the rear of the store.

Santana laughed. "Stop it!" she said, shooing him away.

"Hey, I was just letting you guys know I gotta go. Can you tell Jill I'll come by tomorrow to finish up the paperwork? She'll know what I'm talking about," Pete said.

"Sure thing. Nice meeting you Pete," Santana said, extending her hand.

Pete readily shook it. "It's always nice meeting family," Pete said as he turned and left.

* * *

"Brittany!" Mrs. Lopez yelled from the kitchen.

"Yes?" Brittany called back from upstairs.

"Can you set the table please?"

Brittany bounced down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"How's school going?" Maribel asked, closing the oven door.

Brittany shrugged, "It's okay."

"You lie worse than Santana," Maribel teased.

Brittany sighed. "It's okay. It's just, chemistry really made my brain hurt today. Quinn and I have been reviewing, but…"

"Getting more intense?"

"Very intense," Brittany sighed. "I don't know if I'm going to keep the B average I started with."

"Funny thing about school and life," Maribel said.

"What's that?"

"School is always about getting good grades and working hard to learn all sorts of subjects. It's good to learn all those things, don't get me wrong. But that's not life. Life isn't about getting A's or B's or C's. It's pass or fail. That's it," Maribel explained.

"I wish my classes were pass-fail," Brittany pouted as she set the table.

Maribel chuckled, "I bet. Problem is Brittany, if you fail in life, you can't always just retake it like you're doing with Chemistry or Lit. Life's pass-fail because it's harder. Even though, right now, it's Chemistry giving you all the headaches."

Brittany straightened a fork on the placemat and frowned. "But Chemistry is _really_ hard."

"And so is life," Maribel said, putting a hand on her shoulder, turning Brittany to face her. "But here's the secret no one really tells you. It's a rare, rare thing for life to throw you something you can't handle."

Santana slammed the front door shut with a bang.

"Really Santana?" Maribel complained.

"Sorry," Santana apologized. "My arms are practically numb after today. I'm gonna take a shower."

Santana gave a quick tired smile to Brittany and went upstairs.

"I mean really Brittany. You are dating my daughter, and planning to live with her in New York. You think Chemistry is hard? The periodic table's got nothing on our Santana, now does it?" Maribel smiled.

"Well, maybe raising her was tough for you, but loving her is as easy as breathing," Brittany stated plainly.

Maribel pulled Brittany into a hug and sighed. "Yes, you're right about that Brittany. Loving her is easy."

Santana came down and found Maribel still hugging Brittany.

"What happened? What's wrong? Britt?" Santana rushed to uncover Brittany's face from her mother's shoulder.

Brittany smiled at Santana. "I'm fine, silly."

Santana breathed out a sigh of relief. "Then what's with the love fest?"

"Do I need a reason to love Brittany?" Maribel asked.

"I could give you a million," Santana replied with a smile.

* * *

"Seriously Britt, what was with all the Mama Lopez love down there?" Santana asked, picking at the frayed hem of her pajama shorts.

"Chemistry kicked my ass today," Brittany sighed as she flopped down on Santana's bed.

"I thought it was going well? You got a B on your test," Santana reminded her.

"I know, but it's just getting harder. My head is just so full of all these equations and rules and formulas. It's getting all mixed up in there and it just…I don't have extra time Santana. It's a compressed schedule. I have to get it right or else."

Santana sat down next to Brittany and wiped a frustrated tear that snuck out the corner of Brittany's eye.

"It's okay to be scared," Santana whispered. "Being scared just means you really, really want it. And that's a good thing, right?"

Brittany sniffed and nodded. "But you've been scared about New York too, and I wanted to not be for you, you know?"

"I'm not scared," Santana said looking over at the window. "Just…worried about the apartment, and you know…life stuff. Paying the bills. Not getting the heat turned off in January."

Brittany put her hand up to Santana's cheek and guided her eyes to her own. "And the job? You were scared about not getting a job."

"Kurt came into the bookstore today. He talked to April. I'm calling her tomorrow. Looks like she might have a job for me after all," Santana grinned.

Brittany pulled Santana on top of her and gave her a big hug. "Oh honey, that's so great! Congratulations. I'm so proud of you," she cooed in Santana's ear.

"And I'm proud of you," Santana replied, rubbing her nose against the shell of Brittany's ear. "You're working so, so hard. I know you're scared, and that's okay. It is. Just talk to Quinn tomorrow. Tell her. You two will figure it out together."

"But what if I fail?" Brittany whined.

"Then we'll deal with that together," Santana whispered, giving Brittany another squeeze. "I already told you, I'm not going anywhere without you."

"And I'm not going anywhere without _you_," Brittany replied.

Santana sat up and tucked a stray hair behind Brittany's ear. "Well that's settled then. We're stuck with each other. Pass, fail, homeless," she chuckled. "We'll do it together."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: So sorry it took an extra week to get this out. As a bonus, it's twice as long! Thank so much for the reviews, and for all the quiet alerts, and favorites. Love the PMs and great messages I get on tumblr and twitter. You all are amazing. Enjoy!

PS: I'd like to thank my beta slayhue for rockin' the rough draft review!

* * *

"Santana Lopez!?" April exclaimed

Santana winced and pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Yes April. Santana Lopez. I was calling because Kurt Hummel told me you found a job for me," Santana explained.

"How is my favorite Mexican lesbian?"

"Um, I'm not Mexican," she reminded April.

"Well I think you _have_ to be. I already have a favorite Puerto Rican lesbian, a favorite Cuban lesbian, Dominican, Venezuelan, Guatemalan…"

"You know a lot of lesbians," Santana remarked.

"Honey, I'm an artist. I've swum laps in the international lady pool like it was the damn Olympics," April flippantly explained. "So what can I do you for?" April asked.

"Kurt said you might have a job for me with a theatre," Santana explained.

"Oh riiiight," April replied, recalling her hazy memory. "Yeah, a friend of mine bought this theatre, and he's in the process of renovating it, and he needs an assistant."

"What kind of assistant?" Santana asked.

"Well, to be honest, it's pretty much being his gopher. Taking calls, getting coffee; following up on deliveries and orders. Stuff like that," April explained.

"Well I can do that," Santana replied with confidence.

"Kurt said you didn't mind getting dirty. Something about cargo pants, but I didn't really get the reference," April continued.

Santana let out an exasperated breath and made a mental note to smack Kurt when she saw him again. "I've been helping remodel a bookstore, so I'm used to carpenters and sawdust and dirt and sweat and hard work," Santana assured her.

"When are you getting into town honey? 'Cause he's gonna need to meet you first," April asked.

"Next week. We're looking at apartments around 4th of July," Santana explained.

"Great. Email me your resume and I'll get it to him, and I'll have him get back to you."

"Thanks so much April. I don't know how I can ever repay you for this," Santana replied.

"Just do good honey. That's payment enough," said April.

* * *

Santana walked into the house after work and flung her bag onto the floor near the front door. She saw Brittany and Quinn sitting across from each other at the kitchen island. Quinn pressed her finger onto the open Chemistry book page, explaining something quietly to Brittany. Brittany followed Quinn's finger on the page; her elbows on the counter and her hands in her hair gripped her head. Santana frowned with concern. Brittany looked frustrated.

Santana walked toward the stairs, and softly called into the kitchen, "I'll start dinner as soon as I'm out of the shower."

Brittany looked up and gave Santana a small, weak smile and quickly returned to her book. Quinn turned to Santana, nodded and mouthed "thank you".

Santana stood under the pulsing stream of hot water and washed off the day's sweat and dust. After she finished washing her hair and body, she turned up the heat and rolled her shoulders and let the water soothe her tired muscles. Santana thoughts converged on helping Brittany study for tomorrow's exams and the practicalities of what to make for dinner. Why did her mother have a late meeting today? What was quick and healthy? Did they eat all the leftovers? Santana turned off the water and spent drying off and getting dressed going through dinner ideas. She decided then and there, that being a responsible grown up really sucked when Mama wasn't around to cook dinner.

Santana entered the kitchen to find Brittany in the same position, watching Quinn solve a formula. She didn't interrupt them. Instead, she went straight to the refrigerator and said a silent prayer for some obvious dinner options to magically appear. She stood in front of the open refrigerator with one hand on her hip, the other resting on the open door. Her eyes went from shelf to shelf. She made a mental note that her family definitely had a condiment problem and Santana really wasn't sure if they needed that much yogurt. What she didn't find was dinner. No leftovers. No thawed out chicken ready to be cooked. The prayer didn't work and magic didn't exist. Santana let out a breath to calm herself.

Brittany could hear Santana rummaging through the drawers and mumbling to herself. She looked up and over Quinn's shoulder to see Santana filling her arms with vegetables and frozen chicken breasts. Brittany tried to figure out what Santana was concocting, but Quinn nudged her elbow and brought her back to the depressing reality that was tomorrow's chemistry exam.

Santana put the frozen chicken breasts in Ziploc bags and immersed them in warm water. She learned her lesson last week, when she tried to defrost them in the microwave and they came out half cooked and rubbery. Santana chopped vegetables and set them aside in a bowl. She turned and leaned her back on the counter.

Brittany looked over at her girlfriend, who seemed deep in thought.

"You okay?" Brittany asked.

"Huh? Yeah, oh yeah. Fine. Dinner will be in about a half hour. Is that okay?" Santana replied.

Quinn nodded, "That's great Santana, thank you. What are we having?"

Santana's mouth dropped into a frown. She had no clue. "It's a surprise," she said with a quick smile and turned around to stare at the slowly thawing chicken in the sink. Santana wanted to make a nice dinner for Brittany. Treat her to something good, so she could continue studying. Santana retreated to the back porch. She needed to clear her head and focus on dinner, not Brittany's studying woes. Santana reminded herself of Mrs. Pierce's advice. "Talk to Britt first. Worry later."

Santana stared off into the back yard and her eyes drifted to the grill sitting off to the side of the porch. It was starting to rust in spots. Her father always took care of it, like it was a prized jewel. Polishing it, cleaning it, adjusting the settings. He's not going to like it when he gets home on the weekend and sees she hasn't obsessed over it like he does. Santana thought it was a grill, not a Porche. Then it dawned on her that the slightly rusted yet well-loved-by-her-father-grill was the perfect solution for dinner. Everything tastes good on the grill.

Maribel Lopez smelled the grill hard at work as she stepped out of her car and onto the driveway. She smiled to herself. Grilling certainly wasn't rocket science, but it beat take-out. It gave her comfort that even when she wasn't around, Santana could make some good choices. Maribel had a nagging fear that even after all her work this summer - preparing Santana and Brittany for independent living - her daughter would more often than not, revert to take-out and cereal for dinner. But then again, Maribel thought, Santana would do everything "right" if it were for Brittany. Maribel smiled again. Santana loving Brittany wasn't only good for her daughter's heart; it would also keep her eating her vegetables.

Maribel kicked off her heels inside the front door and walked into the kitchen. An open chemistry book and sheets of paper full of scribbled notes littered the counter. Maribel could see from the handwriting and notes, Quinn's corrections and Brittany's frustrations. Crossed out formulas and circled rules. Stars next to phrases, highlighted correct examples, "smile" and "frown" faces dotted the notes as well. Quinn's careful script and Brittany's bubbly, loopy writing looked like they were in competition across the study notes.

Mrs. Lopez's attention turned to the girls' laughter outside. She looked through the kitchen window and watched Santana, Brittany and Quinn talking over their meal of kabobs and salad at the picnic table. Maribel gave a satisfied nod of approval. "Not bad kid," she thought to herself. Maribel felt a warm sense of pride in how her daughter has matured. That feeling kept the cold sadness of reality at bay, for now. Santana would leave her soon.

* * *

Brittany walked Quinn out of the house.

"You'll do great Britt. You've got this. Honest," Quinn said, holding Brittany's gaze.

Brittany looked to the side, not convinced.

"Would I be leaving if I didn't think you were going to pass?" Quinn asked, stepping away and tilting her head to seek out Brittany's wayward glance. "Hmm?" Quinn asked again, waiting for Brittany to look at her.

After a few moments of silence, Brittany huffed, realizing Quinn wasn't leaving until she at least looked at her. She turned her gaze down to Quinn's and shrugged with a sense of defeat.

"I'm not going to remember it all," Brittany complained.

"Britt, you don't have to remember it all. You just have to remember most of it," Quinn said with laugh. "And you _do_ remember most of it. So stop worrying, and give me a hug," Quinn said with her arms open.

Brittany grinned and leaned down and embraced Quinn.

"Thank you," Brittany said over Quinn's shoulder.

"Thank me Monday when you get your grades back," Quinn smiled and pulled away. "Now go get your girlfriend. Last test on _MacBeth_. Santana's waiting for you."

Santana walked out of the upstairs bathroom and ran into her mother who was leaning up against the doorframe.

"What are you up to?" Mrs. Lopez asked.

"Nothing," Santana quickly answered, and walked toward her room.

"Candles and a bubble bath?" Maribel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Britt's had a rough few days. She's getting really stressed out about her tests tomorrow, so I thought it'd be nice, you know, so she could relax," Santana smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders.

Maribel drew Santana into her for a hug. "That's very thoughtful of you."

Santana pulled back and nodded. "I'm gonna go get Britt," Santana said, and turned to walk down the stairs.

"Did you take your shower already?" Maribel asked.

"Yeah," Santana answered over her shoulder. "Why are you ask…" Santana paused on the stairs and turned to her mother.

"Really Mama?"

"What?" Maribel feigned innocence.

"I'm not taking a bath with Brittany when you're in the house. Give me _some_ credit," Santana complained.

"I didn't say anything," Maribel countered. "Just looks awfully romantic in there."

Santana shook her head and walked downstairs, grumbling, "unbelievable" under her breath.

Maribel just chuckled to herself and followed her daughter downstairs to watch TV.

Santana led Brittany upstairs and pushed open the bathroom door. Brittany's eyes widened as she gasped.

"Oh Santana, it's beautiful," she sighed. "But your mom is home," Brittany pouted.

Santana playfully rolled her eyes. "You and my mother have a one-track mind. It's just for you Britt. You looked like you needed to relax," Santana said with a soft smile.

Santana kissed Brittany on the cheek and left her to soak her worries away and went downstairs to prepare for their study session. 30 minutes later, wrapped in a warm fluffy towel, Brittany entered her bedroom and found a note on top of a neatly folded pile of her own clothes.

_Put these on and meet me out back_

_ Love_

_ S_

Brittany placed the note aside on the bed and picked up the clothes one by one. Her favorite old sweatpants, a long-sleeve t-shirt, a zip up hoodie, rainbow-striped socks and her superman underwear. Brittany smiled at the gesture. Her superman underwear _was_ her lucky underwear after all. It always put a little extra spring in her step when she wore it. Brittany picked up her dog-eared copy of _MacBeth_ from her nightstand and went downstairs. She waved at Mrs. Lopez sitting in Dr. Lopez's chair with Lord Tubbington on her lap as she turned to go through the kitchen and out the back door.

In the back corner of the yard, under the trees, four tiki torches lit up Santana, lying on the hammock. As Brittany approached she saw the blankets and pillows Santana reclined on.

"Ready for your test review?" Santana asked with a smile, holding out her hand.

"I'm ready for something, but studying isn't it," Brittany smirked.

"Well," Santana drawled. "You _might_ get a reward if you finish this review sheet," Santana smiled as she dangled the paper in front of her.

"Might?" Brittany pressed, as she settled into the hammock next to Santana. "I missed out on sharing a bath with you, and you're going to hold out on me more?"

"Have to see how well you do," Santana coyly replied.

Santana wrapped her arm around Brittany and encouraged her to rest her head on Santana's shoulder.

"Ready?" Santana asked.

"Go for it," Brittany smiled.

Santana proceeded to quiz Brittany with the study guide. Santana smiled at her answers. Brittany's retelling of _MacBeth_ was much more palatable than just reading it. It wasn't just Brittany's little additions and flourishes to the story. Her voice softened when she was reaching for the right explanation. The longer the review lasted, the more Brittany's voice deepened and cracked from talking and sleepiness. Those little imperfections; those rough edges melted Santana's heart.

"San?"

No reply.

"Santana?"

"Yeah Britt?" Santana replied, bringing her out of her brief Brittany voice-induced trance.

"Next question?"

"What time is it?" Santana asked.

"10:30. Oh I'm gonna ace this," Brittany chuckled then yawned. "We done?"

"Just a couple more," Santana said, stroking Brittany's hair.

"That's making me sleepy," Brittany yawned again.

"It's supposed to be relaxing, but I'll take sleepy. You need a good night's sleep for your tests tomorrow," Santana explained, placing a quick kiss to the top of her head.

"Chemistry is gonna be a bitch," Brittany pouted.

"How did it go with Quinn tonight?"

"Good. Better than I expected. By the end it wasn't horrible. Just kind of awful," Brittany confessed. "I'll review my notes again in the morning."

Santana gave Brittany a quick squeeze and exhaled. "You don't have to know everything Britt. Just enough to pass," Santana reasoned.

"That's what Quinn said," Brittany smiled and snuggled into her girlfriend.

"Quinn's a smart girl," Santana smiled and pulled the blanket up over them more.

"Warm enough?" Santana whispered in Brittany's ear.

"Mmmhmmm," Brittany replied and drifted off to sleep.

It was just before midnight when Dr. Lopez walked in the front door. He set aside his luggage and opened the door to the kitchen. The dim light above the stove gave off just enough light to see Lord Tubbington dash through the door and jump up and settle into Dr. Lopez's favorite chair.

"You and I are going to have a problem," Dr. Lopez grumbled as he watched Lord Tubbington wash his paws in the chair. "Big problems," he sighed.

Dr. Lopez dragged his tired body upstairs and into his bedroom, where Maribel soundly slept. He slipped into bed and cuddled his wife.

"You got the earlier flight," she sleepily smiled and leaned to give him a warm, welcoming kiss.

"Yeah, I couldn't wait another day," he admitted. "Where are the girls? I passed their rooms but their beds are empty."

"Probably fast asleep in the hammock. Santana's trying to get Brittany to relax before her test tomorrow," Maribel explained.

She felt her husband move away and get out of bed.

"I thought the rule was they're to sleep in their own beds, not together," Dr. Lopez complained.

"That _is_ the rule. They fell asleep studying. They're not having sex," Maribel explained, shaking her head.

"I'd appreciate you not putting that image in my head," her husband retorted.

"It's a sad fact of life baby."

"Doesn't mean you have to bring it up," Dr. Lopez grumbled, slipping on his robe.

"Hey, where are going? Don't you dare wake them," Maribel warned.

"I'm not, I just want to see my little girl," he said as he walked out of the bedroom.

Dr. Lopez walked through the dewy grass, and wondered if he had time to cut it tomorrow. Two of the torches still burned by the hammock. He stood a few feet away, and watched his daughter sleep, her arms wrapped around Brittany. He watched as Brittany's hand gently rose and fell on Santana's chest with his daughter's sleepy breaths. Dr. Lopez sighed. They looked like two puppies curled up into each other; and two grown women with grown up lives and dreams and problems at the same time. He smiled away the small ache in his heart. It crept up on him so slowly and quietly, but its arrival wasn't any more unwelcome. She's not his little girl anymore.

Maribel watched from their bedroom window. Her mouth formed a sympathetic frown when she saw her husband wipe away a tear and run his hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I know baby," she whispered. "Me too. Me too."

Dr. Lopez woke up to the smell of coffee. He took in a deep breath and exhaled with a sleepy smile. He blinked his eyes open to find his wife not next to him, but standing in front of the window, tying her robe.

"You make coffee?" he asked with a stretch.

"The girls did," she said as she turned to him with a smile.

He looked at the clock on his bedside table. "It's not even seven. Did I wake up in some alternate universe?"

Maribel chuckled. "Yes, one where your daughter gets up early, has a job, and makes breakfast and dinner."

"I'm never leaving for that long again," Dr. Lopez grumbled as he got out of bed. "I'm missing too much."

"Being here doesn't make it that much easier," Maribel admitted, kissing her husband. "Come on."

The Lopez parents walked into the kitchen to see Brittany pressed up against the counter. Her eyes were closed and her hands gripped Santana's butt as Santana kissed Brittany's neck below her ear. Brittany's eyes opened slowly, then wide when she saw Mr. and Mrs. Lopez standing there, their arms crossed in an uncomfortable, amused annoyance. Brittany's hands quickly gripped Santana's waist and pushed her back a little.

"Morning," Brittany greeted and cleared her throat.

Santana stilled her mouth and froze a moment and looked at Brittany's eyes fixed on her mother behind her.

"Coffee's ready," Santana squeaked, as her head dipped and she pulled away from Brittany and grabbed some mugs. She cleared her throat and turned to face her mother.

"Papi!" Santana greeted with a wide grin, forgetting her embarrassment and gave her father a bruising hug. "I thought you weren't coming home until tonight!"

Dr. Lopez hugged his daughter back and closed his eyes. He missed the smell of her shampoo and her unselfconscious bursts of happiness. That hug reminded him of an eight-year old Santana, not the one he left a month ago, nor the grown woman he just found being fondled by her girlfriend.

"I missed you too sweetheart," Dr. Lopez grinned and kissed her on top of her head. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Britt's got school and I have work," Santana replied, pulling away.

Santana pulled out some eggs from the refrigerator and set a frying pan on the stove. Brittany pulled out a store brand version of Lucky Charms and set it on the counter.

"Britt, I'm making omelets. Brain food for test day," Santana reminded her.

"I can have both," Brittany smirked, filing her cereal bowl. Santana smiled, shook her head and returned to making eggs.

"Am I in the right house?" Dr. Lopez whispered to his wife, watching Santana make breakfast.

Maribel nodded and pulled her husband's hand to sit down and wait to be served breakfast by their daughter.

* * *

Brittany rushed into the bookstore, notebook in hand, and slapped it down on the counter. Quinn sat up, startled at Brittany's abrupt entrance.

"Brittany? What are you doing?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know if I got this one right," Brittany explained, flipping through her notebook to find the right page. "Here, look at this and tell me the answer," Brittany demanded pointing to a formula.

Quinn smiled at Brittany being anxious about just one question. She looked at the problem and worked though it and turned the notebook back to Brittany. Brittany's tongue poked out of her mouth and her eyebrows scrunched in concentration.

"Shit," Brittany complained.

"What?" Quinn asked.

"I definitely got that one wrong," Brittany sighed.

"How about the rest of them?" Quinn pressed.

Brittany shrugged.

"Come on Britt. How do you feel about the rest of the test?"

Brittany let a small smile creep across her face. "Pretty good," Brittany admitted.

"And _MacBeth_?" Santana asked, sneaking up behind Brittany, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Partial credit saves me on that every time I think," Brittany grinned, and turned to peck Santana on the lips.

"I think this calls for a celebration," Quinn suggested.

"Ice cream!" Brittany cheered.

Brittany and Santana walked into the house around dinnertime, and found Mrs. Lopez adjusting Dr. Lopez's tie.

"Where are you going?" Santana asked.

"Dinner," Maribel replied, smoothing over her husband's jacket lapels.

"Ooh, date night," Brittany grinned.

"What do you have on your shirt?" Maribel frowned and moved closer to inspect Brittany's top.

"Hello Kitty," Brittany said matter-of-factly pulling out her t-shirt hem and looking down at the cartoon.

Maribel shook her head. "Ice cream?" Maribel asked with a sigh, pointed at the chocolate syrup stain in the middle of Brittany's shirt.

"Brittany felt good about her tests, so we celebrated," Santana shrugged and led Brittany to the couch. They plopped down and Brittany searched the on screen guide for a movie.

"We're doing laundry tomorrow," Maribel stated.

"We know how to do laundry Mama," Santana replied.

"I'm pretty sure you didn't all of a sudden overcome your hatred for pink. Even though a lot of your underwear says otherwise," Maribel teased.

"That was one time," Santana complained.

"It was last week. And we're going to make sure it doesn't happen again," Maribel explained. She opened her purse, dug around and pulled out a small tube. "Here Brittany," she said, tossing the small plastic tube. "Stain stick. Since it doesn't look like you two are moving from the couch in the near future, put this on your shirt. We'll deal with it tomorrow. We're having an official, complete laundry lesson."

"Thanks Mrs. L," Brittany smiled.

"Don't you have a date to go on?" Santana asked, trying to push her mother to drop laundry and leave her alone.

"We're leaving. And you two are doing laundry with me tomorrow. End of discussion," Maribel replied.

Dr. Lopez pulled the car into the restaurant parking lot. He reached to unbuckle his seatbelt and felt his back pocket. He sat up and slid his hand into an empty satin lining.

"Great," he breathed.

"What?" Maribel asked with concern.

He patted the chest of his blazer and felt the inside pocket. "I forgot my wallet," he grumbled, re-buckling his seatbelt and sliding the keys back in the ignition.

"What are you doing?" Maribel asked with alarm.

"Going back to get my wallet. We're early. We've got time," Dr. Lopez explained.

"No, I'll pay," Maribel quickly offered.

"Baby, that's silly. We have plenty of time," he said, putting his hand on the center console gearshift.

"No!" Maribel said louder than she had intended, her hand stilling his on the gearshift. "No," she said again quietly. "You've been gone for a month, working hard. Really, I should treat you," she smiled looking directly in his eyes, trying to convey how serious she was. Maribel was _not_ going to have a repeat of salon day. She's certain her husband would never recover. She was still working on getting past it herself.

"What's gotten into you?" Dr. Lopez asked with a curious smile.

"Nothing. Can't a wife treat her husband to dinner every once in a while?" she said sweetly, getting out of the car.

"I guess…" Dr. Lopez replied, still wary, grabbing his wife's hand as they met outside the car and made their way to the restaurant's front door. "But…"

"But nothing," Maribel cut him off. She turned and tapped his nose with her forefinger. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," she teased.

Dr. Lopez laughed and gave her a playful tap on her bottom.

Back at home, Brittany finished filling the dishwasher with their dinner dishes and returned to the couch where Santana sat watching TV.

"Dinner was great honey, thanks," Brittany said, curling up to Santana's side.

"I microwave leftovers like a boss," Santana chuckled and wrapped her arms around Brittany's shoulder, pulling her tighter to her body.

"Do you want dessert?" Santana asked.

"Uh huh," Brittany said, as she started to kiss Santana's neck and snake her hand under Santana's shirt.

Santana gasped and laughed into Brittany's kisses. "Good, 'cause this is my favorite dessert."

Brittany pulled Santana's legs onto the couch and crawled on top of her. She pressed her body from hips to chest into Santana, and kissed her way up Santana's neck and jaw to her lips. Santana moaned into the kiss, and slipped her tongue between Brittany's lips. Brittany's hips automatically responded and angled into Santana's. Santana's whimper of pleasure clashed with the sound her gurgling stomach. Brittany laughed into their kiss and pulled away.

"You okay?" she asked, pulling away, and playfully poking Santana's belly.

"Yeah, ooh no," Santana complained as she sat up. Brittany sat back and eyed her girlfriend with concern.

"I think I ate too much," Santana pouted, rubbing her stomach.

"Probably shouldn't have had that triple scoop hot fudge sundae earlier," Brittany said with a sympathetic smile. "Just a guess though."

Santana gave her a playful glare, "Yeah, yeah. You're right." Santana sat up completely. "Ooof, I really don't feel good," she winced.

"Are you going to puke?" Brittany gently asked.

"I dunno," Santana replied. She got up and put her hands on her hips. "I'm gonna get some fresh air."

Santana walked outside with Brittany quietly following behind. "Want me to get you something?"

"I dunno," Santana mumbled.

"Come on, let's get you something," Brittany said, rubbing Santana's back and turning her toward the house.

"Sorry," Santana sighed.

"For what?"

"I ruined 'dessert'," Santana apologized.

"Honey, don't worry about that," Brittany consoled.

"Yeah, but we don't get much _alone_ time, and now Papi's back. I just…" Santana was frustrated with herself. "My stomach's being a twat block."

Brittany laughed. "I'm pretty confident you'll be making it up to me next chance we get," Brittany winked.

"Promise," Santana smiled and exhaled through a stomach cramp.

Brittany brought Santana some nausea medicine and gave her a kiss goodnight.

"You're not gonna stay?" Santana pouted.

"Honey, your parents are going to be home soon, and last time we cuddled you looked like you were going to puke. Let the medicine kick in," Brittany explained with another kiss to Santana's forehead.

She stroked Santana's hair and down her cheek. "You're so beautiful," Brittany whispered with a smile.

"Even when I'm about to hurl?" Santana asked, with a disbelieving smile.

Brittany nodded, "Always."

Santana sat up in her bed and sipped her medicine, cursing herself for eating the biggest hot fudge sundae she could get. Brittany went to her own room and got ready for bed. She slid off her shorts and put a tank top on and tucked herself into bed. Once the lights were off, Brittany spent about three seconds being selfishly mad at Santana for eating that damned sundae before she let her mind drift back to her and Santana making out on the couch. Taking care of Santana and her tummy ache couldn't completely quell how turned on she was from earlier. Her wet underwear was a nagging reminder.

Brittany ran her left hand over her breasts and down her stomach, then reversed course under her tank top and found an already stiff nipple. She hummed at the sensation of her palm rubbing over her breast, and flipped through the Rolodex of Santana love making memories. Their first time always came to mind. Soft and sweet and nervous, and awkward and tentative. Everything felt electric and heightened and sensitive that night. Too sensitive. Too sweet. Too sacred to get off to. There was that time after they started dating officially. That was intense. Beautifully, patiently, sensually intense. But too much like the first time. Brittany always considered that their second first time. The first time Santana truly let go, and Brittany saw everything Santana was and is and could be. Brittany huffed. Her brain was twat blocking her as much as Santana's sour stomach. Brittany's right hand ran down her chest, pausing to give her breast a squeeze, before stopping over her the damp cotton of her panties and pressing down.

Santana finished her medicine and picked up her New York City apartment list. She reviewed her notes and prioritized the listings. Her stomach started to settle, and now she just felt full, rather than on the verge of throwing up. Santana sighed a breath of relief and yawned. It was late. Santana sorted out her pillows, laid down and shut off her light. Tomorrow was a new, non-nauseous day.

Brittany had honed in on the perfect Santana sex dream, the one that hadn't happened yet. Her mind was free to fantasize about Santana wearing that strap-on she caught Santana looking at on the internet a few months earlier. They had discussed it briefly, but Santana was a little shy about using it. Though it was obvious she was curious about it. But Santana wouldn't even consider having it in her parents' house, so they didn't buy it. They tabled the discussion until they moved to New York, so Santana wouldn't have to worry about her mother inadvertently finding a dildo. Brittany was looking more and more forward to New York.

Santana rolled over and untangled her feet from the sheets. She slipped off her shirt and kicked off her sleep pants. She grumbled at her mother's stinginess with the air conditioning. She looked at the clock. 9:30pm on a Friday night. "I am officially epically lame," she thought then let out an exasperated breath. That breath was echoed by faint whine. Santana's eyes darted from her nightstand clock to her door. She held her breath and listened closer. A choked gasp then a soft moan from across the hall soon followed. Santana could feel her face redden and her stomach do a different kind of flip. She knew those sounds, though she knew them only in person and only as a result of her efforts. Santana got up and shivered as she cracked her door open. Did the air conditioning kick on? She looked back at her bed and the rumpled shirt on her more than rumpled sheets.

"Fuck it," she thought to herself, leaving the shirt and shorts and crept across the hall in just her underwear, and pressed her ear against Brittany's bedroom door.

Santana could hear Brittany's pants and the steady, rhythmic rustle of the sheets. Hearing Brittany masturbate was now going on Santana's list of favorite things. Ever. The thought that her already stunning girlfriend could get even sexier, after all these years, was a wonderful surprise. The tingle between her legs quickly turned into a throb, as Santana continued to listen. Her hand slid down into her underwear and she smiled through the groan that escaped her lips.

Silence replaced the breathy pleasured sounds coming from Brittany's bedroom. Santana's eyes snapped open and her hand stilled. She tried to hold her breath, but she was already becoming light headed. She let out a gentle steady breath. Inhaled softly, waiting patiently for Brittany to ignore the groan Santana didn't mean to emit and get back to what Santana really, really needed to hear. Santana heard a little shuffle in the sheets and a sigh. Santana learned Brittany could hold her breath a lot longer than her. She was impressed but not surprised. She thought Britt could do most things better than her. Even breathing.

Santana's patience was wearing a little thin. Thankfully Brittany waited long enough not hearing anything to resume. Santana leaned her forehead against the door and said a silent thank you to her girlfriend. Then the door opened and Santana stumbled into Brittany, Santana's hand still inside her panties.

Santana felt the warmth of Brittany's skin through her tank top against her face. Then she felt the slickness on Brittany's fingers grip her left arm to steady her. Santana was frozen in a space in between complete embarrassment of being caught getting off to Brittany getting off, and the very painful need to finish what they started. Santana's right hand gripped Brittany's waist. She couldn't look at her, she couldn't decide if it would be more obvious to leave her hand in her underwear or slowly slide it out. She couldn't figure out how to be casual and unassuming in this situation. The evening's earlier nausea was threatening to make a reprise.

Brittany made that decision a little easier. Brittany wrapped her left arm around Santana's back and pulled her closer into her body.

"Hey naked girl. Feeling better?" Brittany chuckled.

Santana let out a nervous snort. Still not looking at Brittany, but slightly nodded against her chest.

Brittany slid her right hand down and cupped Santana's hand through her underwear.

"Like what you hear?" Brittany whispered.

Santana let out a shaky breath and nodded several times.

"Then come here and finish what I started," Brittany said, pulling Santana in her room and pushing her on the bed.

Brittany slammed the door shut lit one candle on her bedside table, and crawled up the bed and sat with her legs spread in front of her and Santana. Brittany pulled her shirt off and laid back to slide off her underwear. Santana just sat and watched.

"What are you waiting for?" Brittany asked.

Santana blinked.

"Oh, right," she mumbled and laid back to slide her underwear off as well, then sat back up.

Brittany scooted up the bed and pulled one of Santana's legs over hers and slid her other leg over Santana's leg.

"Do you want to watch or touch or feel it all?" Brittany purred.

"Fuck," Santana exhaled.

"That's on the table too," Brittany smirked.

"Everything. All of it," Santana said.

Brittany grinned and leaned in. Santana met her halfway, and melted into the kiss that quickly became wet, and heated and messy. Brittany whimpered against Santana's lips. Santana quickly congratulated herself for that tongue move she was sure sent Brittany into spirals of pleasure. It wasn't until Santana ran her hand down Brittany's arm to pull her closer that she felt it move, and realized where the whimper came from. Santana pulled away from the kiss and looked down to see Brittany's fingers run up and down and through her folds. Santana was pretty sure she died and went to heaven.

"You too," Brittany said, staring at the apex of Santana's thighs.

Santana's left hand quickly let loose of Brittany's arm and found a home rubbing away the ache between her legs. They rested their foreheads together and watched. Just watched each other and touched themselves. Each gasp and pant and whine and sound of slick skin spurred them on. They got faster and harder and more desperate, until Santana couldn't stand it any more. She reached out with her right hand and cupped it over Brittany's.

"Let me," Santana pleaded.

Brittany let her, and pushed Santana's other hand aside so she could touch her girlfriend as well. Brittany pulled Santana into another heated kiss. Her tongue matched the rhythm of her fingers. Brittany and Santana were in and on and over all of each others wet places. Santana pulled Brittany closer until their knuckles brushed.

"Closer," Santana panted. She couldn't stand not feeling all of Brittany all over her. She pulled at Brittany's shoulders and scratched at her back. "_Closer_."

Brittany pulled Santana's hand away and pressed into her. Santana groaned and bit down on Brittany's shoulder and Brittany gasped at the sensation. It had been so long, too long if they had the mental power to think about it. Wet, hot, swollen skin against wet, hot and swollen skin. Slick and tender and aching and perfect. Brittany tucked her legs tighter around Santana and hugged her until she could feel every inch of Santana's skin touching every inch of hers. Santana and Brittany sat still and held each other for a few moments. Santana's eyes closed, reveling in the feeling. She was definitely in heaven now. Heaven before now seemed like a nice waiting room for this real heaven.

Brittany shifted her hips and rocked gently into Santana. "I'm so close. Santana…please," she gasped in Santana's ear.

Santana met Brittany's rocking and pulled an arm away to lean back and give Brittany everything she needed. Brittany strained to keep her eyes open, because watching Santana move her hips in the flickering candlelight, her breasts' light bounce with the small movement was sending Brittany over the edge. Santana's pace quickened and with it so did Brittany's release. Santana watched as Brittany's back arched and her head was thrown back, as her body stiffened and shuddered. Santana kept rocking, so close to getting her finish, but Brittany stilled her hips with a hand.

"No, I can't. It's too much," Brittany panted.

Santana's disappointment could not be hidden.

Brittany untangled her legs from Santana, got on her knees and pushed Santana onto her back. Brittany quickly dipped her head between Santana's thighs and ran her tongue through her. She paused, before wrapping her lips around Santana's clit for just enough time to swallow and savor the taste of both of them mixed together. Brittany found her heaven too.

Brittany was kissing up Santana's body as she came down from her orgasm when they heard the door slam.

"Jesus!" Santana yelled through her panting breaths.

"Your parents," Brittany stated.

They didn't move. Brittany was still holding Santana tight underneath her, as they calmed their breathing and listened to the sounds downstairs.

Maribel grabbed her shoes and walked upstairs to put them and her purse in her bedroom. She passed Santana's bedroom.

"Did you close your door?" Brittany whispered in Santana's ear.

"Fuck if I know. I was too busy listening to you," Santana hissed in her ear.

Maribel paused in front of Brittany's door. She heard one quick "Shhh!" from behind it and proceeded to her bedroom. She met her husband at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm just going to hang up my jacket," Dr. Lopez said as he moved to walk past his wife and up the stairs.

"You know what honey, let me do that for you," Maribel suggested. "Can you make me a drink?" she cooed.

Dr. Lopez smiled and kissed his wife. "Absolutely."

"I'll be down in a second," Maribel sweetly smiled.

Maribel walked back up stairs, hung up her husband's jacket and on the way back down the hallway, shut Santana's door with more than enough force to let the girls know exactly who was covering their very bare asses that night.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N**: Your reviews and support are outstanding! The Mama Lopez love I'm getting from you all just blows me away. Thanks to my beta slayhue for making sure this all makes sense for you fine readers. She rocks. Hey gleeeeeeee89: Happy now? Vero: you continue to rock, as usual. Thank you all my precious unicorns. Hopefully this takes some of the sting out of hiatus. Thanks again for reading!

* * *

Brittany brought her hamper into the laundry room and set it down next to Santana's. Maribel was helping Santana sort her lights and darks into piles on a table next to the utility sink.

Brittany stood by and watched as the left strap of Santana's overalls slipped down her arm. Santana absentmindedly returned it to her shoulder three times.

"Why do you still wear those if they don't fit you?" Maribel asked.

Santana shrugged.

"Do you want me to adjust the straps?" Maribel asked, turning to see if she could tighten them.

"They're as tight as they'll go Mama," Santana waved her off.

"Then why are you still wearing them? You have all these clothes, yet you won't get rid of those dumpy old overalls," Maribel shook her head.

"I just like them. They're comfy," Santana shrugged again.

"Need help?" Brittany asked.

"Yes, come over here Brittany," Maribel smiled. "Help Santana get through all these clothes. For the life of me, I don't know how you go through all these in a week," she said picking up a pair of lace panties.

Santana quickly snatched last night's underwear from her mother's hands and put it in a sorted pile.

"Santana, those go in the lingerie bag. That lace is delicate," Maribel said, making a move to take them back.

Santana clutched them to her chest, "I'll do it," she offered quickly.

Maribel raised an eyebrow at her and let out an exasperated breath. "You think I've never done your laundry before," Maribel shook her head and walked out.

'Why is she all nosy all of a sudden?" Santana muttered under her breath, sorting her clothes.

"Why are you so self-conscious all of a sudden?" Brittany asked, picking up last night's underwear.

Santana bit her lip and grabbed them back from Brittany. "I'm not," Santana lied.

"Your mom has been doing your laundry for ever. She knows about us. She's known about us for ages. So what is it now that's making you freak out?" Brittany asked.

"I'm not freaking out. It just feels like Mama's getting all up in my business," Santana said dismissively. She bunched up a fist full of socks and tossed them into the "lights" pile.

Brittany started collecting her bras and re-hooking them. She finished three and stopped. Brittany turned to Santana with the realization.

"It's not about the underwear or your mom. It's about what happened in that underwear, and after, not being in that underwear," Brittany stated, with the enthusiasm of figuring out a puzzle.

Santana felt her ears burn. She sorted laundry and kept her eyes focused on the piles and shook her head.

"You're self-conscious about it," Brittany said, with a quieter tone. "You're embarrassed," Brittany said, searching for the word that will get Santana to respond. "You know, just because your mom held that pair of underwear, doesn't mean she can magically know what we did last night," Brittany smirked.

"I know that Britt," Santana rolled her eyes with a huff. "Can we just drop it?"

"Okay! We ready to wash some clothes?" Maribel asked as she returned to the laundry room.

"For now," Brittany whispered in Santana's ear. "Just for now."

Mrs. Lopez gave Santana and Brittany a simple lesson on how not to ruin their clothes when washing and drying them. Santana came away wiser and convinced that a dryer sheet would be just as good as liquid fabric softener, no matter what her mother said.

Brittany left to do chores at her house, while Santana whittled down her piles of laundry. After Santana's last load went into the dryer, she started on Brittany's.

Dr. Lopez came into the kitchen with a dirty rag and even dirtier hands.

"How's the grill coming?" Maribel asked as she washed the dishes.

"Pretty good. Though I wish I wasn't gone for a month. Still needs work," Dr. Lopez sighed and went to wash his hands in Maribel's dishwater.

"Oh no you don't!" she chided, pushing his hands away. "You're filthy. Use the sink in the laundry room," she demanded.

Dr. Lopez saluted and winked, "Yes ma'am."

Dr. Lopez walked through the kitchen and to the doorway of the laundry room. There he saw Santana putting Brittany's laundry into the washing machine. She paused and ran the material of Brittany's Superman underwear through her fingers and smiled. Dr. Lopez coughed.

"Hey Papi," Santana smiled and tossed the underwear and the rest of the load in the washing machine.

"Your mother kicked me out of the kitchen," he said, holding up his dirty hands.

Santana grimaced and stuck her tongue out at his grimy hands. "Guess you're stuck with me then," she said and made room for her father to use the sink. Santana started folding her clean laundry.

"Did you get the interview lined up for next week?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Yeah, I heard back from the guy yesterday. Thursday afternoon, at the theater," Santana replied.

"What's his name?" her father asked.

"Tre Winslow," Santana replied.

"And what does he do, exactly?" her father pressed.

"He manages small, off-Broadway theaters. This job is as his assistant at a theater he just bought. He's gutting it and renovating it. So I'll be helping him out," Santana answered with a smile.

"How much does it pay?"

"April wasn't sure. She guessed $10 an hour, since that's what a lot of college kids make, but I'm hoping for more."

"What makes you think you'll get more?" Dr. Lopez asked with a hint of teasing.

"Well, I've been helping with the bookstore renovations, I've been involved in theater. I'm good with blueprints and plans, and I'm organized," Santana said matter-of-factly.

"Organized? That doesn't apply to your room or your car apparently," her father scoffed.

Santana threw a balled up pair of socks at him. "I'm organized where it counts Papi," she corrected him.

"Is Brittany all set for her interviews?" Dr. Lopez asked, tossing the socks softly back into Santana's hands.

"Yep. She's got the school at 10 am and the animal shelter at noon," Santana proudly smiled, and set aside her underwear to fold.

"Do you really need that many…um…that kind of underwear?" Dr. Lopez asked, nodding toward the thong Santana was folding.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Papi, it's just so I don't get panty lines with my dresses and skirts. It's no big deal," Santana said shaking her head.

"Maybe you shouldn't wear such form-fitting dresses then?" her father reasoned. "You know, you could have more overalls. I like those," he suggested.

Santana chuckled, "I'm glad you like them, because Mama wants me to get rid of them. She said they're too baggy."

"I'll talk to your mother. I'll buy you 10 more of those too if you want," Dr. Lopez grinned and waited for Santana to agree.

"Thanks Papi, but I don't need 10 pairs of overalls. I'm happy with these and the other pair I have. Two is enough. Honest."

"Okay, then how about getting rid of some of those too tight dresses, hmm?"

"Papi. It's the underwear isn't it? Forget about them, okay? They go _under_ the clothes. No one will see them. That's the point. Now go. If I want fashion advice I'll go to Kurt, not you," Santana said with a mockingly stern face.

"How is Kurt?" Dr. Lopez asked, stopping as he walked out of the laundry room.

"Good. He got a job at a theater, or a costume shop. Something. Anyway, he'll be sewing costumes for some off-off-Broadway theater. Or show," Santana stumbled through her explanation. "He'll be in New York next week too."

"Invite him to dinner," Dr. Lopez suggested.

"You haven't been around Kurt that much Papi. He can be a bit…much," Santana warned.

"I've talked to him at the tire shop. He's fine," Dr. Lopez smiled. "He's different. But it's a good different," Dr. Lopez said, as he left Santana to fold the rest of her clothes.

Santana finished her laundry and some of Brittany's, before she decided to go check on how she was doing with the Pierce house chores.

* * *

Santana pulled up to the Pierce's house and went inside to look for Brittany. Brittany was sitting in the living room with her feet up drinking a glass of ice water.

"Lawn looks good," Santana complimented, as she sat down next to Brittany.

"Thanks. I was wondering how long it would take you to get over here."

"It's a lot of laundry Britt," Santana explained.

"You didn't have that much," Brittany teased.

"I did most of yours too," Santana confessed.

"Honey, you shouldn't have," Brittany said sweetly and kissed Santana as a thank you.

"I don't mind. You know that. Anything for you," Santana replied.

"Anything?" Brittany teased.

"Anything," Santana nodded.

"So about last night," Brittany began.

"Okay, not _anything_, anything," Santana squirmed.

"Come on, you got all weird about it earlier. Didn't you like it?" Brittany pressed.

"Oh God, no. No, I loved it. A lot. Like, really a lot," Santana admitted quickly, then shrank back.

"So what's the problem?" Brittany asked, scooting closer on the couch. Their knees touched and Brittany held Santana's hand and rubbed her thumb over her knuckles.

Santana watched as Brittany stroked her hand. She let out a breath, trying to gather her thoughts.

"It's tough to explain," Santana said, still watching their hands. "Like, was it weird that I listened to you when you were…you know…"

"Masturbating?" Brittany finished for Santana.

Santana let out a nervous chuckle, "Um yeah, so did that freak you out?"

"I don't think it was weird that you listened. And no, not freaked out at all," Brittany replied gently.

Santana nodded. "So, then when you opened the door and saw that I was, um, _really_ enjoying listening to you."

"Honey, I'm confused. Why would you think I'd think it was weird that you were getting off listening to me getting off thinking about you? Like, that doesn't make sense," Brittany said, trying to figure out what the real issue was.

"Can you like something _too_ much?" Santana asked.

"How can I like you or us _too_ much?" Brittany replied.

"I don't know. It's like there's was this separation…because I was listening and not with you, and then I was with you but watching you and…"

"You got turned on and not from me being with you, and now you feel all pervy. Is that it?" Brittany asked with a soft smile. She thought it was silly but completely adorable that Santana worried about it.

Santana's phone rang.

"It's my dad," Santana said, quickly reading the text. "Guess we need to hurry up with your chores. Dad's insisting we clean all of Lord Tubbington's hair off his favorite chair," Santana frowned.

Brittany sighed. "Fine, but we're not done talking about this," Brittany said, giving Santana a pointed look.

Santana rolled her eyes and huffed.

Brittany smirked. "Come on, flowers need to be watered."

* * *

Brittany and Santana walked in the front door giggling and shushing each other. Maribel was delicately straightening the throw on the back of the couch when she looked up and saw them.

"Oh hell no," Maribel declared.

"Is she friends with Mercedes?" Brittany whispered in Santana's ear.

"You're soaking wet! Get out. Go around back," Mrs. Lopez commanded, pointing her perfectly manicured finger at the girls dripping water onto the carpet.

Brittany squeaked out a "sorry" and grabbed Santana's hand, pulling her around the house to the back porch. They found Dr. Lopez working on round two with the grill.

"Hey girls!" Dr. Lopez greeted with a smile that soon turned to confusion. "Why are you all wet?"

"They can't seem to water Susan's flowers without getting into a water fight with the hose. Every Saturday," Maribel explained from the kitchen door.

Santana and Brittany both grinned and shrugged. Maribel tossed both of them a towel.

"Dry off first. Then you're allowed in the house," Maribel said, as she shut the door and returned to the kitchen.

Dr. Lopez returned to cleaning the grill. Brittany squeezed the extra water out of her t-shirt before toweling off. Santana tried to do the same with her tank top, but her overalls got in the way. Santana made sure the buttons were done at her hips and unclipped the straps, letting them fall off her shoulders. She wrung out her shirt and grabbed the towel to pat herself down.

Dr. Lopez looked up from the grill to see his daughter lean over, drying her hair upside down. Her overalls slipped off one hip to reveal the top of her thong. Dr. Lopez quickly averted his eyes, cursing the damned underwear; that apparently overalls can't even cover. His averted eyes went to Brittany who was busy checking out Santana's ass. Brittany licked her lips. Dr. Lopez threw his dirty grill rag, hitting her square in the face.

Brittany's startled look quickly turned sheepish when she saw Dr. Lopez's face. It was a cross between annoyed and disapproval. Mostly annoyed. Brittany grabbed her towel and quickly walked inside. Santana straightened up, towel firmly wrapped around her hair and head.

"Pull up your pants Santana," Dr. Lopez quietly grumbled.

Santana felt for her overalls and instead felt skin and the side of her thong at her hip. She fumbled to scoot her overalls back over her hip and turned to her father. He had his head down, cleaning a grill valve line very, very thoroughly.

"I'm gonna get changed," Santana said, and opened the door into the kitchen.

"Good idea," Dr. Lopez mumbled with a shake of his head.

Brittany dutifully cleaned Dr. Lopez's chair. She vacuumed it. Then used the lint roller, and then picked, by hand, hairs off the chair.

"Brittany," Maribel gently called. "I'm sure he appreciates you doing such a thorough job, but I think that's enough."

"Almost done," Brittany quietly replied, concentrating on picking out the few cat hairs hiding in the creases of the fabric.

Maribel cocked her head at Brittany kneeling into her husband's chair, a little confused and a little concerned at Brittany's new-found-meticulousness. She quickly shrugged it off. It's Brittany after all.

Santana and Brittany spent the afternoon doing their chores. After dinner, Brittany took her _Lord of the Flies_ book outside and read in the hammock. Santana sat with her parents on the back porch. Her dad sat and scrutinized his handy work on the grill. Her mother stared at the tomato plant, as if willing it to ripen faster. Santana just sighed and watched Brittany read her book, stopping to highlight passages, or write a note in her composition book. Dr. Lopez looked across the yard at Brittany, then over to his daughter. He couldn't help but smile at her dreamy look.

"She's really taking summer school seriously," he commented.

Santana nodded.

"She's been like this all summer," Maribel replied. "She's been working really hard, and it's paying off. "

"I'm surprised she's studying on a Saturday night to be honest," Dr. Lopez remarked.

Santana shot her father an annoyed look. "She's working ahead. She's missing class Thursday and Friday to be in New York. Her teachers gave her the readings for the classes she'll miss, and she's taking the exams online next Friday. So we have to make sure we're in the hotel Friday morning so she can use the wi-fi."

"Are we apartment hunting after that?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Yeah. I emailed all the places. We have four to look at," Santana replied scrolling through her phone, looking for the details.

* * *

Kurt walked into the bookstore during Santana and Quinn's lunch break Monday afternoon.

"Ladies," Kurt greeted with a smile. "Ooh, I love the new shelves," Kurt praised, as he ran his hand along the stained wood. "Very nice," he commented to himself more than Quinn or Santana.

"How are you Kurt?" Quinn asked, moving her foot off the chair next to her and offering him to sit.

"Prancy," Santana greeted with disinterest.

"Satan," Kurt replied. He continued to stare until a smirk cracked Santana's lips.

Quinn smiled at both of them. She loved that Kurt was more relaxed. He always spent so much time being serious or trying to be taken seriously, it covered up the playful side of him. And Santana. Quinn still got caught off guard when Santana was nice to anyone besides Brittany, even if it was hidden under a layer of snark. Everyone said Brittany tamed Santana. Quinn agreed that her best friend was whipped beyond belief, but she knew it wasn't Brittany, but Santana getting over herself and her big fears that brought out the real Santana. She missed her so much for most of high school. When she got _her_ Santana back. The one she met freshman year, it felt like it was almost too late. They were running out of time. Going their separate ways in a month.

"So, what do your New York plans look like this week?" Kurt asked Santana.

"Fly there Wednesday night. Job interviews Thursday. Apartment hunting Friday. Fly back Saturday," Santana replied.

"Do you maybe want to get together for lunch or something?" Kurt offered.

"Friday night dinner Hummel. My dad's taking us all out," Santana replied.

Both Kurt and Quinn raised their eyebrows.

"Dad's idea," Santana added.

"Well I'd be honored to join you," Kurt smiled too graciously. Santana smacked his arm.

"Violence is not the answer Santana," Kurt admonished, rubbing his bicep.

Brittany walked into the bookstore just after 2pm. Quinn was busy with a customer, so she snuck by unseen and sought out Santana in the back of the store. Santana was reading the back of a book in the LGBTQ section. Brittany walked up behind her.

"So _this_ is where I can pick up hot lesbians," Brittany whispered in her ear.

Santana slid the book back onto the shelf and turned around with a smile.

"You in the market, because I might know someone who'd be perfect for you," Santana purred.

"What book was it?" Brittany asked.

"Nothing. History book," Santana shrugged. "How did you do on your tests?"

Brittany reached around behind Santana and grabbed the book off the shelf.

"History of Lesbian Erotica," Brittany read aloud.

"Wrong book Britt," Santana said, pulling it out of her hand and putting it back.

"Uh huh, sure Santana," Brittany winked.

"Grades Britt. What did you get?" Santana pressed.

Brittany pulled her exam papers out of her backpack. Santana snatched them out of her hand and looked at the top right corner.

"82," Santana read out, looking at her Chemistry test.

"80," Santana read out, when she flipped to the English test.

Santana looked at Brittany with a proud grin on her face. "Look at you B student. Practically a scholar," Santana beamed and gave Brittany a bear hug.

Brittany smiled into the hug. "Not as good as I wanted though," she sighed.

"Good enough," Santana whispered in her ear. "Good enough."

Santana stepped back, her arms gripping Brittany's. "You just have to pass Britt, and you're doing so much better than just passing. You're doing great."

Quinn snuck up behind Brittany and pulled the tests out of Santana's hands. She looked at the grades and flipped through the pages, to see where Brittany had gotten things right and where she got them wrong. Brittany turned around and eyed Quinn with nervousness.

"Sorry Quinn. I thought I did better," Brittany quietly apologized.

Quinn looked up at Brittany and smiled, "You did great Brittany. Really. I'm just looking to see where we need to review for the next one. Okay? Really. Congratulations."

"You two go study. I have to finish up here," Santana said, turning back to her work.

* * *

That evening, after Santana finished reviewing _Lord of the Flies_ with Brittany, she started sorting out her clothes to pack for their New York trip. Brittany knocked on Santana's ajar door and pushed it open. She saw Lord Tubbington sitting in Santana's open suitcase.

"Is he coming with us?" Brittany asked.

"He seems to think so," Santana chuckled.

"Good day today, right?" Santana asked, as she pulled Brittany over to the bed and sat down with her.

"Yeah, not bad," Brittany smiled. "The stuff I got wrong on the chemistry test ended up being some silly math mistakes. Nothing I didn't know in the end. And _MacBeth_, I got a lot of partial credit. The teacher was just looking for some different interpretations."

"Well you're done with _MacBeth_ and you already have most of this next book down. You're doing great," Santana smiled and squeezed Brittany's hand.

"So how are _you_ doing?" Brittany asked.

"Fine," Santana replied with a little confusion. "Why?"

"Because last we talked, you were worried you were turning into a perv," Brittany smirked.

"Don't make fun Britt," Santana sighed and looked to her lap.

"I'm not. I'm not," Brittany straightened her posture and her expression. "I'm just trying to figure out how what I thought was a really fun and hot and intense and loving night turned you into thinking it wasn't."

"It's just. Okay, this is going to sound bad, but I don't know how else to put it," Santana said, looking up at Brittany.

"It's okay Santana. You can say whatever you want to me," Brittany smiled.

"So Friday night, listening to you and then when I was watching you…touch yourself and I was touching me and…it was hot. Like really can't stop thinking about it and…but…" Santana stopped to find her words.

"But?" Brittany coaxed. "It doesn't sound bad yet."

"This is the sounds bad part. See, it's like the listening and the watching, but not touching you, it felt like, kind of like porn. But like, personal porn. Like you're my personal porn," Santana confessed.

Brittany cheeks blushed and she bit her lip while a small smile formed.

"Why are you smiling?" Santana asked. "I was, like objectifying you, and I don't want us to be like porn. You're not porn Britt. You're not," Santana explained.

"Honey, shhh, no, don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong. Honest. You're good. We're good. I'm not offended at all," Brittany assured Santana and drew her into a hug.

Santana curled into Brittany's lap and held onto her. Brittany stroked Santana's hair and held her hand.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" Brittany quietly asked.

"God yes. You're gorgeous," Santana answered.

"Do you think I'm sexy?" Brittany asked with a little tease in her voice.

"Sexiest woman on the planet," Santana sighed.

"Do you respect me?"

"Of course," Santana replied.

"Do you love me?" Brittany asked.

"With everything that I am," Santana replied.

"Then last Friday wasn't dirty or wrong. You know me and respect me and love me. And I know you and respect you and love you. And everything we share, no matter how slow and soft or fast and hard, has got all that respect and love in it. It doesn't go away just because you just found out you like to watch," Brittany explained.

"And listen," Santana added.

Brittany chuckled and pulled Santana up to face her. "And listen," Brittany repeated, and kissed Santana firmly on the lips.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N:** Hi readers! Have I told you lately how much you rock? No? Well you do. Very much so. Not much Mama Lopez in this chapter. Fair warning, but I think you'll dig her hubby. Don't worry though, Mama Lopez will be back in full force next chapter. She can't stand to be on the sidelines too long. She's bossy that way :). Thank you again for all your reviewing, but a special shout out to all of you that just quietly set alerts and favorites. I see you and I thank you very much. Big thank you to my beta Slayhue! Give her love on Twitter yo!

* * *

Santana's knuckles whitened in Brittany's hand as the plane took off from Columbus. Her father sat on her left, stretching his legs down the aisle and placed his hand over Santana's on the armrest. Santana felt the sweat forming between her and Brittany's clutched palms, and her father's thumb graze over the back over hand. Brittany watched Santana close her eyes and silently mouth a prayer. Brittany asked her what she was saying on their New York trip the prior year, but Santana wouldn't say. So Brittany just watched her lips slightly move as she repeated a phrase over and over as they ascended into the evening sky.

Santana's grip loosened as the plane leveled off, and she could smell the coffee brewing for the refreshment cart. Brittany eyes were gazing steadily upon Santana's face and Santana could feel it. Santana turned to see Brittany with a smile on her lips and concern in her eyes.

"Better?" Brittany whispered.

"Yeah," Santana nodded.

"Good, because look," Brittany said, as she tugged Santana's hand across her lap, forcing her to look out the window.

"Have you ever seen fireworks from the sky before?" Brittany asked, her mouth agape as her breath fogged up the window.

"Wow. That's amazing," Santana gasped. "Papi, come look," Santana pulled at his hand.

Dr. Lopez switched seats with Brittany and he watched city fireworks from 30,000 feet.

"And you were mad we were missing the fireworks back home," he smiled and returned to his aisle seat.

He watched and smiled as Santana leaned over Brittany to see the fireworks below. Brittany ran her palm slowly up and down his daughter's back. Brittany was always gentle and soothing to his too-wound-tight daughter, and he appreciated that. He could do without the leering, but it wasn't a bad trade off to see Santana happy and calm, and he knew Brittany was a big reason for that.

The fireworks died down by the time they made their descent into New York City. Even the lights of Manhattan couldn't distract Santana from the dips and turns the plane took, as it followed its flight path into LaGuardia Airport. As the wheels hit the tarmac, Santana let out a breath of relief, and whispered, "Thank you."

As the taxicab wound its way through the city streets, Dr. Lopez couldn't help but worry. He watched the neon lights reflect on Brittany and Santana's awed faces. They both craned their necks to look up at the skyscrapers. Dr. Lopez looked out the window, then back at his daughter and then back out the window. His thumb worried his wedding band around his finger. She was so young. New York was so big. So unforgiving. He wondered if he could convince her to stay in Lima. Or even just Ohio. He tried to think of the state theaters he had been to with his wife. They were good shows, he mused. Santana could act in those, or sing near home, couldn't she?

When they reached mid-town, the crowds got bigger, the lights were brighter and his hopes deflated. Santana's face lit up at the Broadway lights. He saw Brittany pull her bottom lip into her mouth as she looked in between Santana and the passing Manhattan streets. Dr. Lopez wondered if Brittany was scared of the big city. Or was she scared of failing? Maybe he could convince Brittany to stay in Ohio, and then she would convince Santana to stay. Dr. Lopez mulled over his possible powers of persuasion over his daughter's girlfriend. He wavered between intimidation and concerned cautionary tales.

Dr. Lopez picked a hotel away from the main tourist hub. One of his colleagues recommended a small boutique hotel in a more residential neighborhood. Close enough to all their appointments but far enough away from the hustle and bustle. Dr. Lopez always liked visiting New York, but he preferred peace and quiet, especially at night. He wondered how Santana would adjust, after growing up in sleepy Lima. He added earplugs to the mental list of things he was going to buy her before she moved.

Two blocks from the hotel, they passed a line of cafes, restaurants and bars. Diners sat outside on wrought iron chairs in the warm July 4th night. The sidewalks bustled with diners, drinkers and passersby. Santana nudged Brittany and pointed out the window. Dr. Lopez turned his head, just enough to follow Santana's eye line to the rainbow flags swaying in the light breeze. There were three of them hanging outside a café, a bookstore and a bar all on one block. Brittany's smiled and gave his daughter a slight nod and squeezed her hand.

Dr. Lopez returned his gaze out his own window and his thumb returned to spinning his wedding band. He let out a sigh through pursed lips and nodded to himself. New York City may be big, and scary. Santana may fail at acting or singing and come home with her tail tucked between her legs in defeat. But he couldn't make her stay in Lima. Santana might not be good enough for New York, but Lima would never be good enough for Santana. Or fair enough. At least in New York, his daughter could be herself fully and freely. Part of Dr. Lopez saddened at the idea that she would leave him. But the other part was really looking forward to meeting his daughter when she is everything she is and everything she is supposed to be.

* * *

Santana opened her and Brittany's hotel room to find two double beds. Brittany followed behind her a let out a giggle.

"Your dad's cute," Brittany smiled.

"My dad is…" Santana shook her head.

"He's your dad. He means well," Brittany said.

Brittany took Santana's bag and threw it on the bed near the door, followed by hers unceremoniously tossed next to it. Santana pulled the curtains back and looked out the window. She could see into apartments in the next building and looked up to the tree filled balcony of a penthouse.

"I wonder what kind of job you have to have to live there," Brittany mused as she snaked her arms around Santana's waist from behind, resting her chin on Santana's shoulder.

Brittany looked over to an apartment window across the alley.

"You can see what show they're watching," she observed. "I like their couch."

"We're going to need good curtains," Santana decided.

A knock at the door pulled Brittany away from Santana.

"Who is it?" Santana called.

"Just me," she heard her father from the hallway.

Brittany opened the door and showed him in.

"Room okay?" he asked, seeing the suitcases all on one bed. His eyes quickly darted back to his daughter.

"Yeah, it's great. Thanks Dad," Santana replied.

"Where's your room?" Brittany asked.

"Across the hall, two doors down. Room 1515," Dr. Lopez answered. "I'm going to head down to the lobby bar. They have snacks down there. You girls want to come? Are you hungry?"

Santana looked at Brittany, and Brittany simply shrugged. "I'm okay. Big day tomorrow," Santana replied.

"Yeah, me too. I need get through a couple more chapters of_ Lord of the Flies_," Brittany added.

"Okay. If you need anything, you know where I am. How's 8 for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Sure thing Papi. Thanks," Santana said, ushering her father out to the door.

"Night girls. See you in the morning," he replied with a weak wave as the door shut on his face.

Dr. Lopez returned from the bar with his scotch in hand. He paused in front of his daughter's room; then walked quickly to his own. He didn't hear anything and didn't want to.

"How was your flight," Maribel asked over the phone.

"Good. No turbulence. Everything was on time. Which is a first for me, in at least a year," Dr. Lopez chuckled.

"How did Santana do?"

"Better than last time. Brittany helped. She held her hand and then they spent a good hour watching the fireworks out the window," Dr. Lopez replied as he kicked off his shoes and relaxed on his king-size bed.

"Did you take my advice?" Maribel asked with a tone of doubt.

Dr. Lopez sighed, "Yes dear. My room is across the hall, two doors down, not next door or adjoining."

"Good boy," Maribel chuckled.

"Got them a room with two double beds though," Dr. Lopez admitted proudly.

Maribel laughed. "I love you. You sweet, naïve, silly man."

"Couldn't hurt," he shrugged.

"Well it's always nice to have an extra bed to put all your luggage on," Maribel said.

Dr. Lopez paused. "How did you know?"

"Two 18 year olds, in love, in a hotel room of their own. Do the math sweetheart."

"Can we stop talking about this now?" Dr. Lopez whined.

"Absolutely. What's the plan for tomorrow?" Maribel agreed.

"Breakfast. Brittany has her interviews in the morning and Santana's is in the afternoon. Then dinner. Then Brittany has study time," Dr. Lopez listed off.

"So what are you going to do while the girls are interviewing?"

"I'll figure something out," Dr. Lopez replied.

"You're not allowed to go with them you know," Maribel warned.

"I know, I know," Dr. Lopez sighed. "I called a car service. We're all set. I'm just going to ride along. Check out the neighborhoods they might be working in.

"Okaaaay," Maribel hesitated. "But just to see the neighborhoods."

"Just to see the neighborhoods," Dr. Lopez agreed.

* * *

After breakfast, Dr. Lopez, Santana and Brittany met the town car driver outside the coffee shop near their hotel. Brittany smiled as the old man tipped his black cap to her and held the car door open.

"It's funny," Brittany said, turning to Dr. Lopez.

"What's that Brittany?"

"Everything in New York is just like on TV. Doormen at fancy hotels, the blue paper coffee cups, and drivers in suits and caps. It's cool," Brittany shrugged, amused at her own observations. "I wonder if it ever gets old," she asked herself.

"You ready for today?" Santana asked quietly, placing her hand on Brittany's knee.

Brittany nodded. "Yeah, I've been emailing back and forth with the cheer coach and the shelter supervisor. So, I feel good about it."

Santana smiled and sat back. She was proud of how well Brittany was doing. Studying hard and the grades were proof of that. She seemed a shoe-in for the jobs. Santana just hoped her interview would go just as well. She didn't have a good back up. Or any back up. Yet.

Santana and her father saw Brittany off at the steps of the private school in the Upper West Side. With an hour to kill, Dr. Lopez motioned to an entrance to Central Park across the street. Santana smiled, nodded, and joined her father on a walk into the park. He bought her a pretzel and himself another coffee.

"Nervous about today?" Dr. Lopez asked.

Santana shrugged.

Dr. Lopez nodded in understanding.

"Ill take that as a yes," he said

"I just want to do well," Santana replied

"And Brittany?"

"I'm more nervous for her than she is for herself I'm sure," Santana sighed.

Dr. Lopez nodded again. They walked along the paved paths and sat on a bench near a duck pond. Santana tossed a few pieces of her soft pretzel to the ducks. Dr. Lopez sipped his coffee.

"I almost took a job here," Dr. Lopez said.

Santana looked over at him, surprised.

"Why didn't you?"

"I was scared," Dr. Lopez said with a little chuckle.

Santana furrowed her brow in confusion.

"What's there to be scared of?"

"It's a big city. One of the biggest. All the people, the traffic, the buildings, the noise, the crime," Dr. Lopez explained. "I like our quiet little town on our quiet little street. I like that if I forget to lock the door when I come in at night, our TV will be there the next morning, and so will we."

"You're worried about me," Santana concluded.

"I always worry about you," Dr. Lopez said with a weak smile and a shrug. "You're my only child. My smart, beautiful, talented daughter. I want your life to be easy. I want your life to be happy and full of success after success."

"What makes you think I can't have all those things in my life?" Santana asked.

Dr. Lopez spun the ring around his finger, searching for his words, or rather the right words.

"I think you can have all those things. I think you can and will be happy. I think you will have success in your career and life. But it's not always going to be like that. Jobs don't always work out how we want. Landlords don't fix your broken locks. You get sick and your mother and I aren't there to take care of you. Life's already harder for you, because, of…because of who you love," Dr. Lopez said, staring at his hands.

"It'll be easier here," Santana quietly replied.

Dr. Lopez nodded. "It will be. And I'm happy for that. For you. And Brittany."

Santana smiled, leaned into her father, and nudged him. "I can nurse a cold or flu too you know," Santana replied.

Her father nodded with a weak smile and sighed. "Let's start walking back and see how Brittany did."

Brittany sat on the steps of the private school talking with the town car driver.

He was showing Brittany pictures of his grandchildren in his wallet. He saw Dr. Lopez approach and quickly stood and donned his cap.

"To the next appointment sir?" the driver asked.

'Please," Dr. Lopez replied.

Once all three were in the back of the car and headed to the lower east side, Santana pounced, "So, how did it go?"

"Well the job part went well. I mean, the cheer coach and what I'd have to do, and the school is super nice, but I don't think I want it," Brittany sulked.

"Why not?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"What did they do?" Santana asked more pointedly.

"Nothing. Not really. When it was time to meet the girls at their cheer camp. Well, we didn't really get along," Brittany shrugged.

"What. Did. They. Do?" Santana repeated.

"Nothing. It's just that, well, you know that movie _Mean Girls_?"

"Of course," Santana said.

"No," Dr. Lopez replied at the same time.

"Awful bitchy girls in high school," Santana explained to her father. "Were they mean to you?" Santana asked Brittany.

"Not all of them," Brittany pouted.

"How many were nice?" Santana asked.

"One, but that's because she has a crush on me," Brittany smiled.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Britt, she's what, 12?"

"It was still cute," Brittany grinned. "She's like a little baby gay and doesn't even know it yet."

"Then how did you know she had a crush on you?" Santana asked.

"Because she kept staring at my ass," Brittany explained.

"You were showing them a routine, right? I'm sure she was just trying to learn your moves," Santana reasoned.

"No, she stared at my ass like you do," Brittany grinned. "Oh, sorry, Dr. Lopez, I didn't mean…I forgot you were here…"

Dr. Lopez waved Brittany off with an uncomfortable smile, "It's okay Brittany." It wasn't okay, but Dr. Lopez promised himself he'd work on it.

Santana tried to sink into the back seat and disappear. She huffed. It wasn't working. They soon pulled up to the animal shelter, and Brittany jumped out of the car before the driver could open the door for her.

"Come on, we're like a half hour early. Let's look at kittens!" Brittany grinned as she pulled Santana's hand and Santana out of the car.

The driver held out his hand for Santana to take, which she did and she smiled at him while being yanked by Brittany to the curb.

Santana heard the dogs bark from the front door; as they entered the animal shelter. The shelter was bright and clean. There were three rooms for cats to play and live openly. Down the hallway there was a room for puppies, a row of indoor/outdoor runs for the dogs and some roomy cages for small dogs. A roly-poly tabby kitten waddled up to a food dish inside the first cat room

"Look, a baby Lord Tubbington," Dr. Lopez chuckled. They watched the kitten nibble on some food, then clamor its way up a soft chair. "Yep, just like Lord Tubbington," Dr. Lopez said under his breath. He felt like he was losing his battle for his favorite chair with Brittany's cat. He was right, as well. He was losing it.

"Don't get too excited Britt. Most of the places we're looking at don't allow pets," Santana warned.

"Are you Brittany?" a 40-something man asked.

"Yes, I am," Brittany replied.

"Oh great, I'm Nick. Charlie's friend. I'm the guy in charge," he said holding out his hand.

Brittany shook it and introduced Santana and her father. Then followed Nick into an office.

"Want to look for a lunch place?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Definitely. If I spend much more time here, _I'm_ going to want to adopt a cat," Santana smirked.

When Dr. Lopez and Santana returned from their walk, they found Brittany again sitting on the steps with the driver. This time Brittany was holding a manila folder and showing the driver paperwork.

"You got the job?" Santana asked.

Brittany grinned and nodded. "It's perfect really. I'm going to be helping out around the shelter like I did back home, but they're going to train me to work with the adoption people, so I get to _see_ and _help_ all the cats and dogs get good homes," Brittany proudly smiled.

Santana fixed her lipstick after lunch, but checked it again and touched up her hair in the car on the way to her interview. She pressed her lips together as they pulled up outside the building.

"Good luck sweetie," Dr. Lopez said, as she reached for the door handle.

Santana nodded and gave him a closed lip smile. "See you in an hour," she said and gave Brittany a wink.

Brittany rearranged herself in the backseat of the car, stretching out her legs now that Santana was gone. Dr. Lopez fidgeted with his wedding band and let out a breath.

"Where to sir?" the driver asked.

Dr. Lopez looked over at Brittany and raised his eyebrows in question. He was hoping she would suggest something that didn't require a lot of talking. He couldn't remember a time he'd been alone with Brittany for more than a few minutes. Brittany gave him a half smile and shrugged. She was going to be alone with Santana's father for an hour, and that's never happened before. She wasn't really sure where to start. Or finish. Or Middle. Or anything. Last time she had a significant interaction with him, she was eyeing Santana's ass and he threw a dirty rag in her face. Brittany clasped her hands on her lap and looked out the car window. She was hoping he would do the grown up thing and make a decision.

"Pier 62," Dr. Lopez answered.

Brittany looked at him sideways. "Are you gonna make me walk the plank?"

"Walk the…? No, no Brittany," Dr. Lopez smiled. "The pier isn't the plank, but you'll be able to see ferries and other stuff."

Brittany got out of the car and saw the park and pier. There was a dog park, batting cages and in the distance she saw it: a carousel.

"New York _does_ have it all, doesn't it," Brittany said in wonder.

Dr. Lopez chuckled and shook his head. "Seems like it, doesn't it?"

Brittany and Dr. Lopez walked along the pier, taking in the sights and sounds. Brittany walked over to watch the dogs in the dog park.

"So good job? At the shelter?" Dr. Lopez asked.

Brittany nodded. "It's bigger than the one back in Lima. It's nicer too."

"Good salary?"

Brittany nodded. "It should pay the bills. If I'm careful."

Dr. Lopez shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels as he watched the dogs.

"I always wanted one, when I was a boy," he said.

"A dog?" Brittany clarified.

"Yep. Begged my mother for one. She didn't think I could take care of it," Dr. Lopez smiled with resign.

"But you take care of people," Brittany replied. "You save their lives."

Dr. Lopez shrugged. "She didn't know that then, did she?"

"You showed her though, huh?" Brittany said with a grin.

Dr. Lopez laughed quietly. "Yeah, yeah, I guess I did."

Dr. Lopez cocked his head to the side, gesturing for them to walk down the pier. Brittany silently followed. She looked out across the Hudson River to New Jersey. She watched a ferry slowly approach a neighboring pier.

"Why don't you get a dog now?" Brittany asked.

"Not home enough. And now with Santana leaving…" Dr. Lopez faltered, then quickly righted himself. "There won't be anyone around to take care of it."

Dr. Lopez walked a few steps ahead of Brittany, but Brittany soon matched his pace when they neared the carousel.

Brittany had a gleam in her eye, watching the children on the ride. She looked up at Dr. Lopez and there was something else in his eyes she couldn't quite place. Regret? Sadness? Fear? Fond memories?

"You're gonna miss her," Brittany said as matter of fact as she's said anything.

Dr. Lopez paused and walked to the railing. He propped his foot up, leaned on the railing and looked out over the river and sighed.

"Wouldn't you?" he asked back.

Brittany nodded quickly and with vigor. Dr. Lopez gave her a sad smile.

"So you know how I feel," he said. "But you don't know either, because you don't have a child. You haven't raised a child. Fed her. Clothed her. Taught her. Protected her. Felt sick to your stomach when she left for her first day of school. Or her first sleep away camp. Or her first date. You haven't seen that amazing transformation they make, from child to adult. It happens so quickly, but at the same time, it doesn't. And just when you think you have all the time in the world, you don't."

Brittany watched the river waves lap at the posts near the pier, stunned into silence. Never, in all her life, had she heard that many words come out of Dr. Lopez's mouth at once. She's not sure Santana had either. But she had heard him. Brittany stood up straighter and gently clasped his hand, and pulled him towards the carousel. She paid for two tickets and coaxed Dr. Lopez onto the ride. He smiled shyly, but gingerly mounted the horse next to the one Brittany gracefully climbed upon. The ride started, and the music began, and they sat in silence, bobbing up and down, and around. When the ride slowed, and soon came to a halt, they clamored off and stepped back onto the pier walkway. They walked toward the car.

"I'll take care of her," Brittany assured.

Dr. Lopez's steps faltered and looked over at his daughter's girlfriend. She spoke with such confidence and her gaze was steady.

"I'll take care of her. I will." Brittany said again.

Dr. Lopez dipped his head and smiled. He was pretty sure Brittany will get lost 100 times on the New York City subway, but at that brief moment, he was also pretty sure she'd do exactly what she said. Not only for Santana's well being. But for his as well.

He reached out his arm, wrapped it around Brittany's shoulder, and pulled her in for a quick sideways hug. He let go, straightened up, and looked straight ahead, with a simple nod.

"Let's go see how her interview went," he said.

The car ride to meet Santana was silent, but with a little more understanding, and a lot more respect.

Brittany and Dr. Lopez both received a text. Dr. Lopez directed the driver to a new address. After a few minutes, the car pulled up in front of an old art deco theater several blocks away from Broadway. Santana was not out front.

"You want to go in and get her?" Dr. Lopez asked.

Brittany hesitated. She thought maybe he should go. He was the one running out of time, not her. But he smiled and nodded to the open car door.

"Go on," he encouraged.

"I'll be right back," Britt said with a reassuring smile.

Brittany walked into the theater and across the sawdust-covered tile lobby floor. The steps leading to the balconies were scraped of their old finish. She could hear the buzz of electric screwdrivers and table saws through the doorways to the seats. Brittany followed the sounds through the doorway and saw Santana on the stage looking at blueprints laid out on a door held up by two sawhorses. A tall, slender man with dreadlocks down to his waist, dressed in a light gray suit stood next to her. Brittany walked down to the stage and waited quietly near the orchestra pit.

Dr. Lopez stood at the back of the theater and watched his daughter talk with the theater owner. She was talking animatedly, her hands gesturing to the stage and the wings. He watched the theater owner's expressions as he nodded and participated in the conversation. He looked down at Brittany, sitting in one of the few rows with seats still bolted to the floor. She turned around and saw Dr. Lopez leaning against the doorframe. She smiled and gave him a wave. He gave her a little wave back and looked up to see Santana shaking hands with the theater owner.

Santana spent the entire car ride and most of dinner talking about the job. Dr. Lopez smiled and chuckled to himself. It was an assistant job. A glorified gopher. But Santana talked about it like she was running the place. After dinner, Santana and Brittany went to their room, and Dr. Lopez went to his. Brittany and Quinn Skyped their chemistry study session and Santana helped Brittany with her literature review.

* * *

"Room service!" Santana heard faintly through the door. It was followed by a few sold knocks. "Room service!"

Santana's eyes opened, to see a fuzzy view of Brittany's breast just at the end of her nose. Santana lifted her head off of Brittany's chest and slipped out of bed. She pulled the covers over Brittany and slipped on a hotel robe to greet room service. The young man with the rolling cart, topped with silver food covers and a coffee urn tried to push into the room.

"No really, I got it from here," Santana smiled firmly.

Santana rolled the cart in, shut the door and set up breakfast for herself and Brittany. Brittany's eyes opened at the smell and sound of coffee pouring near her head. Santana placed the cup on the nightstand and kissed Brittany's forehead.

"Breakfast is served," Santana smiled.

"You ordered breakfast?" Brittany asked.

"No," Santana scrunched up her face in confusion. "I thought you did."

Brittany smiled, "Your Dad."

"You think?" Santana asked.

"Definitely," Brittany nodded and sat up in bed.

Santana went to the bathroom to freshen up and opened the door to see Brittany sitting up in bed with nothing but a sheet pulled up to her waist. She was sitting there, drinking coffee and reviewing her study notes. Santana leaned against the door, arms crossed, and just took her in. It was in that moment that it hit her. This could be their life. Waking up, everyday, next to Brittany, drinking coffee she brought her in bed. This could be their life in less than six weeks. This could be their life for the next 60 years.

Brittany looked over at Santana and matched her smile.

"You wanna eat?" Brittany asked.

Santana licked her lips and slipped her hands down to her robe's belt, "Yeah."

"Food? Because I have a chemistry test," Brittany smirked.

"Sure," Santana replied with a shrug, trying and failing to disguise her disappointment.

Brittany just shook her head and chuckled at her girlfriend.

After Brittany took her exams online, they met up with Dr. Lopez in the lobby to go get lunch. Santana felt the buzz of her phone in her pocket.

"Who is it?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Kurt," Santana said absentmindedly, scrolling through the text. "He's looking at apartments and wants to meet up. He's got some addresses on here that are close to ours. Wait, two of them are the same as ours. I'm telling him we're going to eat, then we'll meet him at the first address," Santana explained, typing into her phone.

After a lunch at a pizza parlor, Santana, Brittany and Dr. Lopez met up with Kurt at the first address.

"Ladies!" Kurt squealed as he pulled Brittany and Santana into a hug. He pulled away and held out his hand to Dr. Lopez.

"Good to see you again sir," Kurt greeted.

Santana couldn't figure out how Kurt could go from ear piercing squeal to calm, almost guy voice in less than a second.

The first two apartments were busts. The outside door didn't lock. One apartment had been cleaned, but nothing was getting the smell of a chain smoker who lived there for 40 years out of that place. The other apartment was nothing but cracked torn linoleum flooring and the windows were painted shut. Both were tiny, dark, smelly and they all decided, unsafe. Santana and Brittany felt they could put up with a lot, but they wanted all the locks to work.

The third apartment was better. The lobby door locked. It was sunnier, with newer appliances. The refrigerator was circa 1990 instead of vintage like the other places. A clean carpeted bedroom and wood floors in the living area. The bathroom, however, was a disaster. The landlord made some vague promises to clean it up, but it really needed to be gutted. There just wasn't enough bleach in the tri-state area to make Santana feel like she would be clean after a shower in that bathroom.

Brittany kept a hopeful disposition, but Santana could see the disappointment on her face. It felt like their hopes were dashed before they even got started. Brittany steeled herself for the fourth and final apartment. She grabbed Santana's hand and approached the door.

"This could work," Santana mused as they stood in the center of the barely one-bedroom apartment. There were bookshelves built into the walls, and the layout was more open. The bedroom was tiny. Not big enough for Santana's bed, but Brittany's would fit. Kurt looked through the cabinets while Santana and Brittany checked out the bathroom. Dr. Lopez successfully opened a window and popped his head out to the fire escape.

"Oh my God!" Kurt screamed.

Brittany and Santana ran to Kurt from the bathroom and Dr. Lopez smacked the back of his head on the half opened window trying to stand up.

"What?!" Santana yelled.

"Oh, none of us are staying here. There was a rat the size of Lord Tubbington in there," Kurt panted, and pointed to the cabinet under the sink. "And he brought all his cockroach friends."

"Wow, it's like we have our own gang," Brittany whispered.

Santana slowly stepped behind Brittany for protection. Dr. Lopez rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "We can talk to the landlord about an exterminator.

Santana nodded, but was hesitant.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Dr. Lopez suggested and ushered them all to the door.

They sat outside on the stoop and talked about their options. This last apartment was certainly the best, but with the pest issue, they were all uneasy.

"Let's go for a walk," Dr. Lopez suggested.

They walked down the tree-lined sidewalks and talked about their New York City dreams. Kurt had met with the costume shop owner, and liked that he'd be able to work on a variety of shows. Kurt was convinced his new boss was crazy, but to him, New York crazy was alluring, not scary like Patches back in Lima. Dr. Lopez bought them all coffee from a food truck and they took a turn down a quiet block and Dr. Lopez sat on a stoop and sipped his coffee.

"Papi, why are we stopping here?" Santana asked.

"There's one more place to look at," Dr. Lopez explained and sipped his coffee again.

Santana pulled out her phone and checked her list. "No Papi, that was it."

"I did a little looking on my own," Dr. Lopez smirked.

A doorman greeted them in the small, simple lobby. He led them up three flights of stairs to a newly replaced apartment door. Dr. Lopez pulled a key out of his pocket and slipped it into the deadbolt. Inside, the hardwood floors were worn, but warm. The small kitchenette appliances were new, if not small in stature. Large windows let the afternoon sun in. Bookshelves lined one of the walls from floor to ceiling. Two old steam radiators stood silently collecting dust on two of the living room walls. The bathroom was small, but clean. Santana frowned at the pink border tile behind the sink. Brittany gave her a nudge. There were two bedroom doors, side by side, separated by a narrow wall.

"When the owner bought it the previous tenants had taken a one-bedroom and made it into two. So the new owner made it a real wall," Dr. Lopez explained.

The bedrooms were tiny and an odd shape, since it was really one bedroom cut in half. But both had a small closet and with some maneuvering, Santana figured out they could fit Brittany's bed and her bureau in and still have a little room to move. A little.

"This place is great," Kurt smiled, closing the kitchen cabinets after finding not one unwanted four or six-legged squatters.

He moved over to the hall closet and was mentally sizing up storage space, shelving and most importantly, where he could store his ever-growing hat collection.

"Papi, this is wonderful, but we can't afford this," Santana whined. "Why show us something, we can't have. It's 10 times better than the last place and 100 times better than the first places and we could barely afford those."

"I haven't told you how much it is yet," Dr. Lopez smiled.

"Papi, it's not nice to tease," Santana pouted. She knew they could never afford a place that was clean, safe, and had a tiny bit more room to breathe. "Doorman Papi. We can't afford a doorman," Santana complained.

"$1500 a month," Dr. Lopez stated.

"Britt and I can't afford that Papi," Santana replied with frustration that she had to explain that to her father.

"But you and Brittany _and_ Kurt could," he suggested.

Santana and Brittany looked at Kurt. Kurt looked back at them with a shy smile. He reminded Santana of that kid that was hoping he wouldn't get picked last for the kick ball team. She was sure he had that look down, and knew what it was like first-hand.

"But how can this be $1500. It's at least a $2500 apartment. At _least_," Santana asked her father with suspicion and ignoring Kurt.

Dr. Lopez saw his daughter cross her arms in defiance and distrust. He smiled at her arched eyebrow. He was going to really miss Santana's "I know better than you" look.

"I know a guy," Dr. Lopez shrugged.

"You've been in the city two days. Don't go all New York on us with 'I know a guy'," Santana complained. "Seriously Papi, how can we rent a place like this for $1500?"

"You know my anesthesiologist friend I had brunch with a few weeks back?"

Brittany nodded, Santana didn't.

"Well he owns a few apartments in the city, and this one was his daughter's while she was here for med school. She just graduated. He _was_ going to rent it out to new med students, but when I told him that my daughter and her girlfriend were going to try to make it here in the big city? Well, he cut me a deal. He's into real estate as an investment. He just needs to take the edge off the taxes. Electricity, cable and internet are included. Heat is _not_. You have to pay the gas bill for heat and the stove. And rent of course."

Santana stood stunned. Kurt's mouth was agape. Brittany just walked over and gave Dr. Lopez a hug and bounced up and down, shaking the man.

"Okay Brittany, okay," Dr. Lopez laughed. "You're welcome."

Santana snapped out of her haze. "Really Papi. Like, this is for real?"

"If you want it, it's yours," Dr. Lopez smiled.

A smile slowly spread across Santana's face and her eyes glossed with tears of relief and disbelief and shear happiness. She sank into her father's open arms and gave him a muffled thank you from against his chest. Santana pulled away and kissed her father on the cheek. She kept one arm around her father and one around Brittany when she looked over and saw Kurt running his hand along the side of the built in bookcase. He turned his head and gave Santana a small smile.

"If you think you're going to decorate this place like your God-awful bedroom you have another thing coming," Santana sniped.

Kurt's eyes widened.

Santana rolled her eyes in impatience. "If you're going to be our roommate, you're going to have to tone down your cutting edge decorating compulsion to just edge. Got it Lady Lips?"

Kurt skipped across the room and bounded into the arms of Santana, Brittany and Dr. Lopez.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," Kurt repeated.

Santana gave an awkward chuckle and a pat on Kurt's back. Brittany looked over Kurt to Santana and gave her a nod and mouthed "Thank you" with a smile. To Santana, it was Brittany's way of saying, "You did good" and "I'm proud of you". Santana patted Kurt's back again and extricated herself from the group hug.

"Who's ready for dinner?" Dr. Lopez announced.

Santana opened the door and let everyone out in front of her. She took one last look at the apartment and closed the door.

"We get the bedroom with the bigger closet Kurt!" she yelled ahead of her as they walked out and onto the New York streets.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Apologies for the delay. Had to take care of some family medical stuff and Super Storm Sandy related stuff in NJ. Family is A-OK! Hope all is well with you fine readers. Loved your comments on Dr. Lopez and Kurtana – positive and negative – all fantastic and informative, so thank you! I'd like to give you all a heads up that this story will end soon(ish). Count on 5 more chapters, give or take a few. Big thanks to slayhue for being my badass beta!

* * *

Maribel hung up the phone and slowly slid her hand down the hard plastic. She stared at the digital time on the phone: 9pm. She just finished listening to Santana describe the apartment her father found them. Maribel could see it clearly in her mind. She remembered her husband showing her the pictures from his colleague. She had hesitated when he told her about it. Part of Maribel wanted Santana to do it all on her own. Find a crappy little apartment that pushed Santana out of her comfort zone. Teach her a little something about sacrifice and making do with little. The other part of her was relieved. The doorman and the guaranteed working appliances and neighborhood all together would let Maribel sleep better at night knowing Santana was safe and comfortable.

Maribel called Susan Pierce, but she didn't pick up. Mrs. Lopez hung up before the voice mail prompt. She poured herself a generous glass of red wine and walked up stairs to Santana's bedroom. Maribel stood at the doorway and surveyed the room. She shook her head and smiled at the mess. The bed was left unmade. Three shirts and a skirt hung over the back of her chair. Makeup littered the bureau top. The closet looked like a tornado blew through.

"At least everything is off the floor," Maribel thought.

She scanned the walls and the bed, the curtains and the desk and bureau and open closet full of clothes and tried to imagine them empty and gone. Would the marks left on the walls and the dents in the carpet taunt her each time she passed this room? Would most of the furniture be here, but so empty and neat, it will look more like a sample showroom bedroom and not one lived in by her daughter? Maribel walked into the room and ran her fingers over Santana's desk. She smiled at the photo booth picture strip of Santana and Brittany kissing. Maribel knew it was from sophomore year but it only appeared on Santana's desk after Valentine's Day this year. It pained Maribel to look at that picture, knowing her daughter was ashamed or frightened or confused, or most likely all three when it was taken. It wasn't evident in the picture though. All Maribel saw was a happy, smiling Santana. It caught Maribel by surprise how happiness was strong enough in fits and starts, to overcome fear and judgment. Maribel worried about not being able to protect Santana when she was in New York, but she was unable to shield her from pain when she lived in the same house. And from what Maribel knew about her daughter now, it looked like Santana could handle herself.

But was it enough? Did she teach her everything she needed to know? Was Santana too sheltered? Too entitled? Maribel started to question everything she had done as a parent.

Maribel took another gulp of her wine and set it on Santana's nightstand. Maribel sat on the bed and sighed.

"Five weeks from now, sitting here will be so painful," Maribel thought.

A pride mixed with the pain, Maribel doubted would ease the sting. The last thing she wanted was Santana rushing out of here to the streets of New York City. All Maribel wanted was her daughter, here, in this bed, in this room, in this house. She bunched up the black sheets in her fist and smoothed the material with her thumb. Maribel smiled remembering the day Santana and she argued over the sheets. Santana insisted on black. Maribel resisted. She already allowed Santana to paint her room dark. The black sheets seemed too much. It all seems so little now. So inconsequential. Maribel was running out of time. It seemed like yesterday, she had "all summer", and now, the end of their lives together was nearer. Maribel wasn't ready. She didn't want to be ready.

Maribel finished her wine in one big swallow, set the glass back down and laid on Santana's bed. She heard the click of the air conditioning turn off and the end of its constant background hum. Maribel inhaled the scent of Santana's shampoo on her pillow, and listened to the silence permeate the room. All she heard was her breathing. This is what it was going to be like in August. This house empty, this bedroom empty, this smell, gone.

* * *

Saturday afternoon, Maribel heard the car door slam outside and smiled. She stood up, smoothed her blouse and stepped out the front door to greet her husband, Santana and Brittany.

Brittany bounced up to the front steps and gave Maribel a hug.

"Good to be home," Brittany sighed over Maribel's shoulder. Maribel gave her an extra squeeze.

"Good to have you home, sweetie," she replied.

Santana walked up with her rolling suitcase behind her. She set it aside and walked into Maribel's open arms.

"If I kill Kurt, will you help me hide the body?" Santana sighed into her mother's ear.

Maribel chuckled, "No, but I will pay for a very good lawyer."

Santana laughed and hugged her mother harder.

"Good to have you home," Maribel whispered.

"Thanks Mama," Santana smiled and kissed Maribel on the cheek.

Dr. Lopez leaned against the car and smiled over his sunglasses at his wife.

"We were gone two days," Dr. Lopez smirked.

"Almost three," Maribel replied. "Plenty of time to think."

"Uh oh," Dr. Lopez said as he walked up to his wife and embraced her. "You getting 'Empty Nest Syndrome' before you have an empty nest?"

Maribel gave a half-hearted smile and a shrug. Dr. Lopez slid his arm around her shoulder and walked her into their home. "We've got time. And when we run out of that, we've got each other," he said.

Dr. Lopez went up to their bedroom as Maribel spied Santana leaning into the open refrigerator.

"I'm starving," Santana complained. "Nothing but pretzels on the plane. Do we have anything to eat?"

"Second shelf, right hand side. I made chicken salad, mixed green salad with goat cheese and walnuts and cranberries. Oh and there's some fresh mango cut up on the top shelf," Maribel replied.

Santana licked her lips as she pulled the prepared lunch out of the refrigerator and placed the containers on the kitchen counter.

"So, why do you want to kill Kurt? You're not even living with him yet. Aren't you supposed to get into fights with your roommates _after_ you live with them?" Maribel smiled as she set out the plates.

"He hasn't stopped talking about how he wants to decorate the apartment. He's talked of nothing else since we left the damn building yesterday. All through dinner last night too. Then, when I thought Britt and I could relax back in our room last night, he sent me text after text and links for decorating ideas. The man has a serious problem," Santana sighed as she took a bite of her salad.

"Are his ideas really that bad?" Maribel asked.

Santana shrugged. "No, not really. It's his _obsession_ with it that's getting on my nerves. Yeah, I want a nice looking apartment, but I wasn't planning on going through a swatch book of fabrics."

"That's tomorrow, right?" Brittany asked.

"Ugh," Santana leaned her head on her hand and took another bite of lunch. "We're gonna need to set some ground rules fast," Santana decided.

Maribel looked over to Brittany. Brittany smiled and shrugged. "As long as it's colorful and not just black and white, I don't really care. I just want it to be comfy."

"What's wrong with black?" Santana asked with her mouth full.

"Nothing. I just don't want the whole place to look…cold," Brittany explained.

"You three will figure it out, I'm sure," Maribel concluded.

* * *

Brittany and Santana finished their chores at Brittany's house. Again, Maribel greeted them at the back door with towels, to dry off from their weekly water fight. Dr. Lopez was just off the patio, holding two bottles, trying to decide on which herbicide would rid him of the weeds that always sprouted between the bricks. He looked up at the girls toweling off. Santana chose pants that fit her that day, Dr. Lopez chose _Round-Up_.

Brittany finished unpacking her suitcase first and walked across the hall to see how Santana was doing. Santana's suitcase was sitting next to her desk, unopened. Santana sat on her unmade bed, texting.

"Making plans without me?" Brittany smiled as she sat down on the bed next to her.

"No, well maybe. No. Quinn wants to get together tonight. Do you want to?"

"Sure! Might need a nap though. I'm beat," Brittany yawned.

Santana texted Quinn again and put down her phone.

"Naps it is," Santana agreed.

Brittany slid behind Santana and pulled the covers over them. She spooned up to Santana and laced their fingers at Santana's waist. Santana rubbed her thumb over Brittany's and pulled her closer.

"You okay?" Brittany whispered sleepily in Santana's ear.

"Don't you like these sheets?" Santana asked.

"Sure I like these sheets. They're comfy. And they've got you in them," Brittany said, kissing the back of Santana's neck.

"But you don't like black," Santana replied.

"I just meant I don't want everything black. Or black and white and gray and that super modern look. Besides, we can't use these sheets anyway. Your bed is too big for that bedroom. We'll have to take mine," Brittany reasoned.

"We have a lot of memories in this bed," Santana said, almost to herself.

"We do," Brittany agreed. "We have a lot of those in my bed too."

Santana smiled at the thought. "Yeah, yeah we do."

Santana sighed as Brittany shifted her weight and got herself more comfortable.

"Britt?"

"Mmm?"

"Is it okay if we get new sheets and comforter for your bed in New York?" Santana asked.

"Sure," Brittany replied. "Is it the flowers? You don't like the flowers."

"They're not my _first_ choice, but no that's not it. I just like the idea of us buying bedding together. For _our_ bed and _our _bedroom," Santana confessed.

Brittany pulled Santana over to face her.

"I _love _that idea too," Brittany smiled and brushed Santana's hair back away from her face. "New life, new city, new sheets."

Santana giggled. "Ours."

"All new ours," Brittany repeated and kissed Santana on the nose.

* * *

Quinn returned from her kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn and set it in Brittany's lap on the couch.

"How late is your mom going to be out?" Santana asked.

"Nine or ten," Quinn shrugged. "Maybe later. It's dinner and a meeting and some kind of church social thing."

"She dating someone?" Brittany asked.

"Oh no, not that kind of social thing, " Quinn smiled. "It's the church board and some senior parishioners. It's just an excuse to get together under the guise of 'church business'".

"So what movie are we watching?" Santana asked, looking through the DVDs.

"Before we do that, I wanted to ask you ladies something," Quinn said, readjusting her dress over her legs in the overstuffed chair.

"Yes you should try sex with women, and no, not either of us," Santana quipped.

Quinn's frown was off set by a smirk when she threw the pillow at Santana.

"_Not_ what I was going to ask," Quinn corrected. "I was thinking about that tattoo idea you brought up last month."

"The phoenix?" Santana asked.

"The tree?" Brittany asked with a smile.

"Well, something like those, yes. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Brittany replied.

Santana nodded with a smile.

"Good, because I've already got a place picked out down in Cincinnati to do it. I have an appointment for a consult and design ideas next Saturday, and I'd like you both to come if you don't mind."

Brittany let out a little squeak of joy and got up and climbed on Quinn to hug her.

Quinn laughed and shook her head in a little disbelief that she was going through with it.

"One more thing," Quinn added, holding onto Brittany in her lap. "I was thinking, since you said you wanted to come, what you two thought of getting tattoos?"

Santana smirked and Brittany "oohed".

"Unholy Trinity tattoo?" Santana guessed.

Quinn nodded shyly. Brittany bit her lip and squeezed Quinn more.

"I'm ready to get out of Lima and leave high school and this town and those lives behind me. But I guess I'm getting nostalgic. I want to mark this milestone and our friendship," Quinn explained.

"I'm in," Santana said.

"Your dad will kill you," Brittany replied.

Santana shrugged. "You in?"

Brittany nodded with a grin.

"Your mom will kill you, so we're even," Santana smirked.

"Let's talk designs," Quinn said, clapping her hands together.

"I might already have some ideas," Santana confessed.

* * *

"Are you two grocery shopping after you meet up with Kurt?" Maribel asked Brittany and Santana as they opened the front door Sunday morning.

"Not if I shoot myself first," Santana replied.

"Be nice to Kurt," Mrs. Lopez admonished as she walked toward the front door. "He's a nice young man, he's in the same situation as you, and he means well."

Santana rolled her eyes and smiled, "I know Mama, he just gets on my nerves."

"Why? Is he too nice?" Maribel smirked.

"He's too…Kurt," Santana replied.

"Go on," Maribel shooed them out the door. "Discuss. Plan. And for god's sake compromise."

Santana shook her head as she got in the driver's seat of her car.

"You're just messing with your mom, right," Brittany asked Santana as they drove away from the house. "Because I know you like Kurt more than you let on."

Santana shrugged.

"Come on. It's me. No one else," Brittany implored.

Santana sighed. "You're right. No. I mean, yes, Kurt's alright. Under all those layers of ridiculous fashions, and all his…flamboyance and drama queen ways, I _do_ respect him. Aside from that one time he made out with you, he's always been himself. He never apologized for who he is. I respect that. I just don't have to respect his fashion sense or what I fear to be an apartment decorating coup that will not only bombard my sense of good taste, but also my bank account."

"We'll work something out," Brittany assured her with a pat on her leg.

Brittany and Santana walked into the Lima Bean and found Kurt with a tall stack of home decorating magazines. Brittany went up to the counter to order their drinks. Santana approached Kurt's table and watched him scrutinize a pad of graph paper.

"Okay Kurt, let's do this," Santana said as she sat down.

"Where's Britt?" Kurt asked. He had a nervous look in his eyes that made Santana secretly smile.

"She's getting our drinks," Santana explained.

"Oh, I should go put in my order. I was waiting for you ladies," he said as he started to get up.

Santana put her hand on his. "Britt's got yours too, don't worry."

"How does she…?"

"You'd be surprised," Santana smiled.

"I am," Kurt smiled back.

"So," Santana began, pulling a magazine off Kurt's sizable stack. "Decorating ideas? I assume you have 10 variations on one theme?"

"Let's wait for Britt," Kurt smiled.

Brittany arrived at the table with their coffees, and her eyes widened at the stack of magazines.

"That's a lot of decorating," Brittany said, staring at the magazines.

"Just if I totally missed the mark on my thoughts for the apartment," Kurt assured Brittany.

"Whoa Hummel. Hold up. We get to decide _together_ how we decorate the apartment," Santana protested.

"Of course! Absolutely! Just wanted to start with some suggestions. See how far apart or close we are, okay?" Kurt said, trying to ease Santana's worries.

"Fine," Santana said, folding her arms across her chest. "What do you got Kurt?"

Brittany slid her hand over Santana's arm and pulled her hand onto her lap.

Kurt, Santana and Brittany discussed what furniture they had, what furniture would fit, and colors for curtains, rugs and the couch. To Santana's surprise, they weren't too far off when it came to the common living areas. Their two disagreements were on the couch and the rugs. Santana did insist any new furniture they bought would have to be dual purpose, for the sake of space. A bench with storage, a coffee table with shelves underneath, a desktop that folded up against the wall could double as a small dining table. All agreed on dual purpose furniture and a lot more shelves.

"Looks like we're spending some time at IKEA," Kurt concluded.

"I love their cinnamon rolls," Brittany replied.

"Let's sleep on it. We've got about four weeks until we move. Let's make a plan for next Sunday to take a trip in and check out the stuff we need," suggested Santana.

"Sounds good. I'll get the measurements online and put them on my floor plan, and we'll see what works," Kurt said with satisfaction.

He excused himself to the bathroom.

"That was really kind of painless," Santana said to Brittany with confusion.

"Weird," Brittany nodded with a small smile.

"Yeah, weird," Santana replied with all seriousness.

"Oh my god I'm so glad I ran into you two!"

Santana's face scrunched in pain. Brittany squeezed her hand.

"Rachel," Santana greeted. "What do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm leaving for New York tomorrow. Kurt told me you three found a place! That's so exciting! You're only going to be 10 blocks from me! We can have dinner parties, and you can help me run lines and…"

"I'm going to be working and taking classes. So is Santana. We'll be very busy Rachel, just like you," Brittany explained.

"Well, yes of course," Rachel conceded. "But I'm sure we'll find some time in our busy, yet glamorous New York lives to perhaps, hang out. Once in a while?"

Santana sighed. "Yes. We could, _probably_, manage that," Santana acquiesced. "It'll be nice to see a familiar face, even if it's yours Berry."

"Likewise," Rachel said curtly, and then beamed with a smile.

"Oh this is going to be _awesome_!" Rachel cheered, and bent down to hug Santana and Brittany in their seats.

It was an awkward hug, but not entirely unwelcome. Santana knew she'd put up with Rachel every once in a while for a taste of home and maybe some inside information on what she'll be learning at NYADA. Brittany ended the hug quickly and sat back.

"Have a good trip Rachel," Brittany said, in an effort to move Rachel along.

"Thank you Brittany. I will. Bye you two!" Rachel waved as she walked towards the door. "New York here we come!"

"She's going to invite us to singing parties," Brittany complained.

"Don't remind me," Santana sighed.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N**: Hello fine readers! Just a few more chapters to go. Thank you all for your patience and comments. Shout out to my beta slayhue for her fabulous consulting skills. Big wet, probably sloppy kisses to all you amazing unicorns! Mama Lopez loves you and thinks you should clean up your room.

* * *

Santana and Brittany left Kurt and the Lima Bean and drove past the church where Santana first discovered her love of singing. Santana glanced over to the parishioners filing out and saw her father. She smiled, but soon faltered as she saw him helping Abuela into his car. Brittany glanced over and saw Dr. Lopez.

"Hey it's your dad," Brittany announced cheerfully and started to wave. "Oh and, and…" her hand and voice fell.

Brittany looked over at Santana's sad, yet steely gaze focused on the road. Brittany put her hand on Santana's thigh and pressed lightly.

"I'm okay Britt," Santana said, staring ahead at the road. "I'm okay."

"Has she, I mean, you haven't seen her since Christmas right?"

Santana nodded.

"How is that okay?" Brittany quietly asked.

"You get used to it," Santana said with a tired shrug.

"You shouldn't have to get used to something like that," Brittany reasoned.

"Shouldn't have to in a perfect world, but we don't live in one of those, do we?" Santana explained. "It is what it is," Santana sighed.

Brittany sat in the passenger seat and thought about all the things she wished she could change in the world. Santana's abuela accepting her again was high on her list, but Brittany knew she couldn't do anything about it. It was up to her abuela.

Santana was put in a better mood, mostly by Brittany's excitement that Lucky Charms were on sale that week at the grocery store. Maribel, Santana and Brittany walked through the aisles, dodging shopping carts and crying toddlers. Santana winced at their piercing wails and Brittany just pouted in sympathy. Maribel gave the girls a lesson on how to pick the best blackberries and save money on tomatoes. Maribel's cell phone rang and she dug through her purse to retrieve it before it went to voice mail. She smiled as the name popped up on the screen.

"Susan, how are you?" Maribel greeted.

"Great, thank you Maribel. I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Mrs. Pierce replied.

"No, no, just grocery shopping with the girls. They do most of it anyway. What's up?"

"Well I wanted to let you know we've got my mother all set up in a step-down assisted living home. She has her own bungalow, but it's on the same property as an assisted living apartment complex and a nursing home. So if she needs anything, a nurse is just a few steps away," Susan explained.

"Wow, that sounds lovely. Make sure you get me a brochure. I might want to ship Alma off soon," Maribel joked.

"You're terrible. But you're always thinking. I like that about you," Susan chuckled. "Anyway, my mother is doing really well. So that's a load off our minds. How are the girls? Brittany called me Friday to tell me about the apartment your man weaseled out of his doctor friend."

"Oh they're fine. Doing great actually. Almost too good," Maribel replied.

Santana turned and gave her mother a questioning look as she tried to pick out the best bag of seedless grapes. Maribel gave her a wink and a smile.

"Good, good," Susan replied. "I was also calling, because we'll be home two weeks from today. So you won't have to put up with Lord Tubbington anymore."

"Well he and I have come to sort of an agreement. My husband however, well, let's just say, we're not getting a cat anytime soon," Maribel chuckled.

"They still battling over the chair?"

"Oh yes. That's their main fight," Maribel replied.

"Thank you so much again for looking after Brittany and doing all the things I couldn't this summer."

"Susan, we've been over this. It's been my pleasure. Brittany's an angel, well, most of the time," Maribel said. "And I already got the flowers, the gift card to the salon and the masseuse, so you can stop with the thank yous."

Brittany and Santana returned to Maribel with more groceries, and Mrs. Lopez said her goodbye to Mrs. Pierce.

"Your family will be back in two weeks Brittany," Maribel said with a big grin.

Brittany bounced up and down and clapped her hands together. "Can't wait."

* * *

When Maribel, Brittany and Santana came home, they saw Dr. Lopez sitting in his favorite chair reading Sports Illustrated. Lord Tubbington sat on the coffee table across from him, and stared.

After putting away the groceries, Santana entered the living room, sat on the couch, and smiled at the silent stand off. Dr. Lopez seemed visibly irked. He peeked over his magazine and smirked at Lord Tubbington.

"Mine," he smugly stated, and returned to his sports article.

"So how's Abuela?" Santana asked, putting her feet up on the coffee table.

Lord Tubbington didn't flinch. Dr. Lopez did.

"Huh?" Dr. Lopez asked, setting his journal on his lap.

"I passed church today coming back from the Lima Bean. I saw you and Abuela at your car," Santana explained.

"Oh," Dr. Lopez acknowledged with a nod.

He tried to read his daughter's face, but it was steady and unemotional. Like she was asking about how the Red's played. Santana raised her eyebrows in question.

"She's fine. Her doctors changed one of her cholesterol meds and she's not happy about it. She's still upset they stopped stocking her favorite guava paste at the store, and she doesn't like the new priest," Dr. Lopez explained.

"What's wrong with the new priest?" Santana asked.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I think he's been doing a great job. He's settled in now. Good service today. I think he's just too young for her tastes," her father smirked.

"So he's not condemning me to hell?" Santana sarcastically replied.

"Well he didn't name you specifically," Dr. Lopez joked. "No, he's more of the 'God doesn't make mistakes', 'Love all your brothers and sisters and minister with kindness' kind of priest."

"Abuela's not buying that, eh? Figures," Santana said with a resigned sigh.

"She wanted him to meet with you and asked him about getting you to go to confession…" Dr. Lopez explained.

"Oh god," Santana rolled her eyes. "Did she mention I haven't been to church since 8th grade?"

"I think she skipped that part," Dr. Lopez smiled. "You'd like him though. He told her love wasn't something a penitent should confess as an act of contrition."

"Wait, what? He took the whole 'Love isn't a sin' stand?"

Her father nodded.

"I like this guy. He should talk to Abuela more often," Santana smiled.

"We'll see," Dr. Lopez smiled back and sighed. "We'll see."

* * *

Brittany walked into the bookstore, and found the manager, not Quinn at the counter.

"She's in the back," she smiled and nodded.

Brittany smiled thanks and looked for Santana. She found her hunched over a labeling machine at one of the café tables. Brittany dropped her backpack on an empty chair and sat down.

"What are you making me?" Brittany teased.

Santana smiled but didn't look up right away. "If all you want are shelf labels that read 'Military History', 'African-American Literature' and 'Erotica', then you just made my Christmas shopping super easy this year."

"I'm pretty sure I'll take anything you give me if it says 'erotica' on it," Brittany teased.

Santana looked up after she was finished with her task and gave Brittany a quick peck on the lips.

"How was school? Get your grades back?" Santana asked.

"It was fine today. Chemistry's getting weirder," Brittany complained.

"More complicated?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, I don't know. Where's Quinn?" Brittany asked, biting her lip.

"She went to say good bye to Berry," Santana rolled her eyes.

Brittany shook her head and grimaced like she ate her least favorite Sour Patch Kid. Brittany pulled out her phone and sent Quinn a text.

"Rescheduling tutor time?" Santana asked.

Brittany shrugged again. "No, asking when she's done with Rachel so we can start studying," Brittany answered, her eyes glued to her phone.

Santana's fingers caressed Brittany's wrist.

"Britt, are you okay? You look…stressed," Santana asked with concern.

"I'll be okay," Brittany assured her. "Just got to keep studying," Brittany said with a smile as she got up.

"Leaving so soon? You want to have coffee together before you go?" Santana asked, getting up from her work.

"No, no. I should really get home and start. I'm sure Quinn will meet me there when she's done," Brittany said slinging her backpack over one shoulder. "See you at home," Brittany said then walked through the store and out the door.

Santana watched Brittany leave and worried her thumb into her palm. No test results and no kiss good bye. Santana got suspicious and then shook the thoughts away. It's just stress, Santana repeated to herself and got back to work.

Santana came home and greeted Quinn and Brittany in the kitchen. Quinn gave her a tight smile and returned to explaining a chemistry concept to Brittany. Brittany had her head in her hands, rubbing her temples. Santana left them alone and took out some leftovers from the refrigerator to reheat. She shut the refrigerator and looked at the Chemistry and English tests neatly lining the door. All decent grades proudly displayed on the fridge. But this week's tests weren't on there. Santana took the plastic wrap off the leftover dish and opened the garbage. She dropped the wadded up plastic wrap on top of a pile of used tissues.

Quinn went home and Brittany went up to her room after dinner. Santana soon followed and had her literature notes and book in hand. Santana knocked softly on Brittany's door and let herself in. Brittany was reading her book and chewing on her nails. She looked up and gave a weak smile.

"Hey," Santana greeted carefully soft.

"Hey," Brittany replied with a stronger smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Santana asked.

Brittany patted the bed and Santana sat down, crossed her legs underneath her and draped Brittany's legs over her lap. Santana smoothed her hands over Brittany's knees and calves. Brittany let out a big breath of air.

"I didn't do very well on my chemistry test," Brittany said apologetically.

"That's okay Britt. I mean one bad grade isn't going to sink the entire summer semester, right?" Santana reasoned.

"No. You're right. It's not. But I only have like, 2 weeks left and then our final exams, and it's like I'm getting worse at it. Or I can't remember stuff anymore. I thought it was supposed to get easier, because I know stuff now," Brittany pouted.

Santana gave Brittany a sympathetic smile and held her hand.

"Yes, you know more stuff about chemistry and literature now, and that's amazing that you know all that stuff. And now, now they're making you build on that. They're adding more twists and turns. It's like those crazy routines Coach would make up. Start with the basics and then add more, and more and more, until when you did the final, completed routine, you thought your body was going to just rip apart it pushed you so much."

"My brain is like my quads?" Brittany asked.

Santana nodded. "Like your quads and abs and biceps and your cute butt _and_ all your bones too. You keep practicing Chemistry and English, and exercising your brain, just like Cheerios…"

"…and I'll have a National Championship brain," Brittany smiled.

"Totally. And a high school diploma, which is much more important," Santana explained with a smile.

"So this week's grades are like I pulled a hamstring," Brittany reasoned.

"Pretty much," Santana reassured her. "Were they that bad?" Santana hesitantly asked.

"75 on my Lit exam and 69 on Chemistry," Brittany grumbled.

"Wanky," Santana winked.

Brittany tilted her head and sighed impatience.

"Sorry," Santana apologized with discomfort. "Inappropriate use of wanky. Just trying to lighten the mood," Santana said with a helpless shrug.

Brittany smiled back, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, as she reached for her literature notes. Santana reviewed with her and they said their goodnights. Brittany tried to sleep, but despite her exhaustion, she couldn't. "The high school diploma was the most important" kept running through her head. If she didn't get that, the jobs they got, the apartment they'll have, the classes they'll take, will be all for naught.

* * *

Santana woke up to the smell of coffee brewing. She made it a point to wake up early, so she could treat Brittany to a nice breakfast.

"What are you doing up so early?" Santana asked her mother, who was pouring a cup of coffee.

"Your dad accidentally woke me up when he went into work this morning, so I just got up," Maribel shrugged. "You making breakfast for Brittany?"

Santana nodded. "She needs a pick-me-up."

"No new tests on the fridge," Maribel noted. "Did she fail them?"

"No, no. A 'C' and a 'D+'," Santana sighed. "She's starting to get stressed, or more stressed and I think it's messing with her head."

"Well it's a lot more real now," Mrs. Lopez remarked.

"Why?"

"You have an apartment. You both landed jobs. Graduation is a few weeks away, then, you're moving. But what if Brittany fails? Then she has to repeat her senior year here, not in New York with you. And if she's not there in New York with you, how are you going to afford that apartment? She's feeling pretty damn responsible, not only for her own success, but for yours as well, I'd bet," Maribel explained.

Santana let her mother's words sink in. When Brittany arrived in the kitchen for breakfast, Santana stayed cheerful and supportive. Santana didn't know what else to do, except be Brittany's personal cheerleader.

At the bookstore, Santana and Quinn ate lunch together.

"What happened with Britt's last test Q?"

Quinn sighed and put down her salad fork. "It was just so many little things. She gets the big concepts. She really does. It's the little details that are tripping her up. I reviewed it with her last night, and she got it after that."

"So why don't you give her a practice test on Wednesday, you can review it on Thursday, and she'd be better off for the real test on Friday?" Santana suggested.

"Well, we've been doing that. Okay, not a full on test, but we _have_ been reviewing the material," Quinn explained.

"Yeah, but maybe it'll help a little for her to just take a test. No help. Just do it. Get her mind in the test game a little more," Santana suggested.

"Maybe. It just seems like test anxiety is getting to her," Quinn said. "But she does do much better after we review. It's like it all clicks, just the day _after _the test. Which, of course, isn't helping."

"She's putting a lot of pressure on herself. If she doesn't pass summer school, it kind of screws me, and even Kurt. She doesn't want to let us down," Santana explained.

Quinn pursed her lips and tapped her finger to her chin in thought.

"Last time I saw her that freaked out was before her big dance number with Mike during _Valerie_," Quinn remarked.

"Really? Huh. I just remember her slapping my ass," Santana smirked.

"It was your big number, she wasn't about to distract you with her fears, now was she?"

"But she kicked ass during that number. She practiced so hard and it paid off," Santana recalled.

"Maybe she needs a reminder that when people count on her, she comes through," Quinn suggested.

* * *

Santana wanted Brittany to forget about the tests, grades and even moving to New York for one weekend. So when Quinn asked Brittany about her exams on Saturday as they drove to Cincinnati, Santana gave her a pointed look.

"What?" Quinn mouthed.

"Not today," Santana mouthed back.

"Um, you know I'm right here, right?" Brittany teased.

"What?" Quinn and Santana both feigned innocence.

"I'm fine. The exams were okay. But it's cool not to talk about it, because Santana doesn't want me to worry. So you two shouldn't worry," Brittany replied.

"You just seemed stressed is all, Britt," Santana explained.

"I am stressed. But you two not, not talking about it isn't helping, so quit it," Brittany said with a knowing raised eyebrow.

Santana crossed her arms in defeat and Quinn shook her head.

They pulled up to the tattoo parlor and Quinn checked in at the desk. While Quinn waited for her tattoo artist, Santana and Brittany looked through flash art and the pictures of tattoos and piercings the staff had done.

"Whoa," Brittany whispered.

"What?" Santana asked trying to see what Brittany was looking at.

Brittany had flipped to the genital piercing section.

"Ouch," Santana said with a grimace and crossed her legs.

"I don't think that's something you should pierce," Brittany said with a scrunched up face, sticking out her tongue.

"Uh, I'd have to agree with you on that Britt. Works great without any jewelry," Santana said. "And, _ouch_," Santana repeated.

Quinn called them over to sit with her as she discussed her tattoo with her artist Brian. Quinn reviewed the design with Brian and showed Brittany and Santana. It would be a tree. The scars would be part of the branches and some of the leaves. There were symbols "carved" into the base of the tree trunk.

"That's going to be _so_ cool Quinn," Brittany smiled.

"I still think the Phoenix would've been cooler," Santana teased.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "What do you guys think, really?"

Santana and Brittany both nodded and smiled. "Going to look sweet Q. Really," Santana praised.

"Good. Because, I'm doing the outline today. Next week it's color and Unholy Trinity tattoos," Quinn grinned.

Santana, Brittany and Quinn showed Brian their design ideas. He called over another artist, Kelly, and gave it to her to sketch. While Quinn's skin was cleaned, shaved and cleaned again, Santana checked out the board of health certificates and the auto clave machine.

"All new needles, all surgical sterilization," Brian commented.

Santana nodded and went back to watching Quinn get tattooed. Quinn flinched at the first touch of the tattoo gun, let out a breath and smiled through gritted teeth.

"Worse than your old one, isn't it?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, just like you said," Quinn replied.

Brittany held Quinn's hand and looked at her with curiosity.

"The scar tissue. Makes it a little more sensitive," Quinn explained.

"At least yours is small," Brian reasoned. "My cousin's wife had me do a cover of her mastectomy scar."

"I didn't think those were that big?" Santana asked.

"She had the surgery about 30 years ago. Hack job if you ask me, but it is what it is. Ink came out great though," he said with a nod to the wall.

Brittany and Santana looked over to see a large print framed on the wall. A side profile of a nude woman, her torso turned toward the camera. Where her left breast used to be, and down her side to her hip was a huge standing peacock in all its gorgeous colors.

"Wow," Santana said, standing up to get a closer look.

"That's amazing," Brittany said.

"That's why I picked him," Quinn said through a wince. "He's a sort of expert on tattooing scar tissue."

"I've just had a lot of practice," he demurred.

Santana gazed along the wall at other portraits of tattooed people. Many of them were military veterans who covered and sometimes accentuated their war wounds with skin art.

After Quinn's tattoo work was done for the day, the three of them reviewed the design ideas and discussed placement of their respective tattoos. They argued and then agreed that each could choose where on their bodies the tattoo would go. Then they consulted Brian and Kelly about which body part hurt the worst to tattoo.

Brittany decided that she didn't want a tattoo on her head or the back of her knee anyway. They paid their deposits and made their appointments for the following weekend with their artists and left feeling like the bad asses they always pretended to be.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N**: Hello fine readers! Time to answer some questions I keep getting asked. 1. Yes this story ends in a few more chapters. 2. No, I'm not continuing this story to NYC. There's lots of NYC Brittana fics out there, and I don't feel I can add much to that. 3. No future Brittana!Moms fic either. 4. Yes, perhaps some one-shots involving Mama Lopez, but no more multi-chapters. I think she's had a good run. You flatter me with your questions and honestly just reading this, so thank you fine unicorns. You are the best. Mama Lopez loves you and thinks you should wipe that smirk off your face. Again, big thanks to my beta slayhue .

* * *

"I swear to god if I have to listen to one more show tune, I can _not _be responsible for my actions," Santana complained from the backseat of Kurt's SUV.

Kurt rolled his eyes and passed his iPod to Brittany.

"Pick something else then," Kurt offered.

Brittany smiled at the opportunity to pick the Ikea trip play list and eagerly scrolled through Kurt's music.

"Wow Kurt," Brittany whispered to herself.

"What?" Kurt looked over, concerned.

"You really _are _the most unicorn of them all," Brittany replied. "I'm still scrolling through Broadway shows," she said shaking her head.

Santana huffed a breath of frustration. "Please tell me you have some Beyonce in there. Rihanna? Hell I'll even take some Maroon 5 as long as I don't have to listen to Defying Gravity for the 100th time."

Kurt looked over at Brittany with a "please help me" look. Brittany looked back and shrugged. She pinched her tongue between her lips as she created a play list. Ten minutes later, Brittany was still choosing music.

"Britt Britt," Santana gently called, leaning forward and placing her hand on Brittany's shoulder. "We're only going to West Chester, not California."

Brittany nodded, but didn't look up. "Almost done," she replied with a little smirk.

Santana sat back and flipped through the dog-eared Ikea catalog. Couches, coffee tables and rugs were all circled or cross out. Santana was willing herself to keep an open mind. She had her preferences, and was really looking forward to winning the apartment-decorating contest she had imagined with Kurt. Just because he had an eye for cutting edge fashion and design, didn't prove to Santana that he had good taste. Brittany reached back with her left hand and petted Santana's shin. That little touch reminded Santana to play nice. "It's only furniture," Brittany reminded her the night before.

The Jackson 5's "ABC" played through the speakers.

"Nice Britt," Santana and Kurt both praised.

Brittany grinned and started dancing in her seat.

Santana was the first to grab the store map and pencil from the holder at the bottom of the escalator. She inspected the map as they rode the escalator upstairs.

"Looks serious," Kurt whispered to Brittany.

Brittany nodded and smiled. "She's a planner," Brittany whispered back.

"You mean schemer," Kurt kidded.

Brittany gave Kurt a playful smack to his arm. "Used to. Now she only uses those powers for good," Brittany explained.

Kurt raised an unconvinced eyebrow. Brittany just shook her head and smiled. She was looking forward to Kurt understanding Santana better. Santana walked ahead and made a beeline for the couches and easy chairs. She found one of the couches they had circled in the catalog and sat down.

"Ugh, this sucks," Santana grimaced.

Kurt and Brittany both sat down with her.

"Well that's disappointing. It was my favorite design too," Kurt sighed.

Brittany put her arms around both Santana and Kurt and pulled them forward. "Come on. There's three more to try out," she said cheerfully.

Brittany, Kurt and Santana took turns sitting on the couches. Brittany always took the time to lay down on them, curl up on them, drape her legs over Santana on them, to make sure she covered all major couch use positions.

"I feel like Goldilocks," Brittany mused.

The last couch was Brittany's favorite. It could seat three people, with one section a chaise. It had hidden storage and converted into a double bed. Santana liked the functionality and she didn't hate the color options. Kurt agreed that it had everything they were looking for in a couch, including comfort.

"Alright Santana. Write that one down," Kurt conceded.

Santana wrote down the tag information and let a small smile sneak across her lips.

"I get first dibs on pillow choice," Kurt added.

"Because you're an expert on pillows, princess?" Santana smirked.

"You're one to talk," Kurt retorted with a smile.

Santana immediately frowned and looked to Brittany. Brittany ignored both of them, and started walking toward the coffee tables.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Santana hissed at Kurt.

"Neither do you, so we're even," Kurt whispered back.

The coffee table choices became a non-issue when they looked at them in person. They all agreed. No arguments. Santana wrote down the ticket information. She looked up to tell Brittany they were headed down to rugs, but she was nowhere to be found. Kurt had his head stuck in the display of storage baskets.

"Where's Britt?" Santana asked.

Kurt turned and scanned the area. Beyond the coffee tables and media centers, there was Brittany, climbing up a loft bed. Kurt tapped Santana's arm and pointed. Santana smiled.

"She always wanted bunk beds as a kid," Santana said, shaking her head.

Brittany grinned as she saw Santana and Kurt approach.

"I know we talked about using my bed, but this would be perfect. We could fit so much more stuff if we have a loft bed," Brittany reasoned.

Santana inspected the price tag and performed some quick math in her head. Kurt stood under the bed and measured the space.

"I could use one of these as well," Kurt mused. "I hate to go all 'college dorm' look, but with the right alterations…"

"You picking function over fashion Kurt?" Santana asked leaning down from the loft ladder.

"Working within the limitations provided is where creativity and necessity combine to create something new," Kurt explained. "And that new thing, is hopefully, fabulous."

"Well if you're doing it, then it's guaranteed fabulous," Brittany added.

"Thanks Britt," Kurt smiled.

Santana wrote down the ticket information for the bed. Brittany looked down from the loft with a grin.

"Really?" Brittany asked.

Santana looked up and nodded with a smile. "It's a smart choice. Come on, one last stop in rugs, and then we're out of here."

"Don't forget the cinnamon rolls," Brittany said.

"We won't Britt, promise," Santana replied.

20 minutes and 50 rugs later, they were down to two. Kurt wasn't budging on his pick of muted tones. Brittany insisted on one bright splash of color for the apartment, and Santana honestly didn't care at this point.

"Everything else is plain. I don't want everything to be plain," Brittany complained.

"I promise I'll pick colorful throw pillows Britt. Honest," Kurt pressed.

"This is a happy rug. It'll brighten up the place," Brittany insisted.

Santana compared both, side by side. Muted beige, black and cream stripes versus bright primary colored stripes. It was practically a rainbow rug. Santana smiled.

"Look Kurt," Brittany stood, meeting him eye-to-eye. "I went along with the couch choice, the coffee table choice, your ideas for throw pillows, storage bins and the curtains you suggested last week. I get the rug, even if I have to pay for it myself."

Kurt opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and shifted his eyes to Santana, who stood there with her arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face.

"Kurt, meet stubborn Brittany. Brittany, meet the Kurt who is going to use his brilliant creative mind to work with your choice of rug," Santana announced with confidence.

Kurt's shoulders slumped a little and turned to the rug.

"I guess can work with it," Kurt grumbled.

"There you go Prancy," Santana said, patting him on the shoulder.

Brittany beamed in triumph, and threw her arm around Kurt's shoulder. "I knew you'd understand," she said, giving him a squeeze.

"I'm still not sure that I do," Kurt admitted.

"You will," Brittany said with confidence.

* * *

"Please tell me you made dinner," Santana pleaded as she and Brittany entered the house.

Mrs. Lopez looked up from _Gourmet_ magazine. "Rough day at Ikea?"

"You'd think since all that stuff comes in 50 boxes, the boxes would be light, but no, it's some of the heaviest sh…stuff," Santana whined and slumped over the counter.

Maribel looked over at Brittany. Brittany blew a wisp of hair from her face. "The boxes really dig into your arms too," she said rubbing her biceps.

"Just think, you're going to have to do that all over again and take it up all those steps in New York," Maribel smirked.

Santana groaned. "I take it back, I don't want to move to New York anymore."

Mrs. Lopez chuckled and drew her daughter into a hug. "Did you get everything you needed?"

Brittany nodded. "And cinnamon rolls", she said, rubbing her belly.

"I see the sugar wore off then," Maribel said, petting Santana's head.

Santana nodded into her mother's shoulder. "Unloading all that stuff into Kurt's garage was the last straw."

"Well, I didn't cook dinner, but I was planning on ordering out, so come pick what you want," Maribel suggested, pulling away from Santana and grabbing a menu from the drawer.

After dinner, Brittany retreated to her bedroom to review her Chemistry notes. Santana stopped by to see Brittany on the phone with Quinn, talking through a new chapter of material.

"You can ask her over if you want," Santana quietly suggested.

Brittany looked up, a little startled and shook her head no. Santana left Brittany to her reviewing and returned downstairs and joined her mother on the deck.

"How's Brittany doing?" Maribel asked as Santana sat down and let out a heavy sigh.

"Studying," Santana flatly replied.

"That's what she's doing. I asked _how _she was doing," Maribel prodded.

Santana shrugged and looked at her mother. "She's stressed. She's studying hard. Trying to get good grades so she graduates."

"And so you and Kurt and she can go to New York," Mrs. Lopez added.

Santana nodded and bit her lip.

"Are you worried?" Maribel asked.

"About New York? Strangely no," Santana paused to gather her thoughts.

"I was a mess at the beginning of the summer. Stressed about not having a job or a place to live. Now those two things have lined up, I'm really pretty good actually," Santana said.

"But now I'm worried about Britt. Not that she won't graduate, because really, I think she will. She's smart, you know?" Santana said, looking at her mother for agreement.

Maribel smiled and nodded.

"She was smart enough to date you, wasn't she?" Maribel teased.

"Or crazy enough," Santana chuckled.

"I'm just worried she's putting so much pressure on herself because of me. That's what's hurting her grades. Not her smarts. I'm making things worse for her," Santana sighed.

Maribel gave Santana a gentle smile and put her hand on Santana's.

"Since when is Brittany loving you your fault?"

Santana looked at her mother like she had two heads.

"You said you were making things worse for her," Maribel reminded Santana. "She wants to do well, not only so you can be in New York, but also so she can go with you. It's not just you, though I'm sure that's a lot of it. She knows you'd be heartbroken if she couldn't come. Throwing all your plans into a mess. You think Brittany wants to be left behind, and repeat her senior year without you? You think she doesn't have New York dreams of her own that she wants to pursue? She loves you. She loves you so much. As much as you love her. Doing right by you, means doing right by herself as well you know."

"But, I don't want her to worry about me, I just want her to do well for herself," Santana explained.

"When you're in love, sometimes doing things for yourself, means you're doing it for the other person as well," Mrs. Lopez replied. "You two are so tied up in one another. And you're learning now, that the other person's happiness is almost the same as your own. She's stressed and unhappy, which is making you stressed and unhappy. That's what you get for caring so much," Maribel said.

"It would be a lot easier if sometimes we didn't give a damn as much as we do about people we love," Mrs. Lopez concluded, looking out into the yard.

Santana sat in silence and took her mother's words to heart. She rolled them around her brain, trying to figure out her next steps. She looked over at her mother, who turned pensive as well.

"You're not just talking about me and Britt, are you?" Santana ventured to guess.

Maribel looked into her lap with a sad smile and shook her head.

"I wish we had these kind of talks a couple years ago, sometimes. Feels like cramming for a final I don't even want to take," Maribel confessed, looking out into the yard again.

"A couple of years ago I was so far in the closet I was in Narnia. I couldn't have talked to you about love or relationships or Britt or anything beyond Cheerios," Santana consoled.

"And just because I'm leaving for New York, doesn't mean I'm leaving you Mama," Santana soothed, and squeezed Maribel's hand.

"But you are. The house is going to be so…" Maribel couldn't finish her sentence. She shook her head to shake away the feeling.

"Sorry. I don't mean to lay that on you. You have your own work to do with Brittany." Maribel forced a smile. "So, what are you going to do about your little stress ball upstairs?" Maribel asked.

Santana hesitated, not wanting to dismiss her mother's sad confession, but Maribel's face was set. She was done talking about herself. Santana understood and let it go, for now.

"I have no idea what to do. I need her to relax and just do for her what she needs to do, without thinking about me, so she can do well in school and we can all get what we want."

"You better go remind her that she has to take care of herself before she can take care of you then," Maribel advised.

Santana smiled and nodded. She got up and sat in her mother's lap and gave Maribel a strong hug.

"I'll miss you too Mama," Santana whispered.

Santana walked inside and left Maribel to wipe a stray tear from her eye. "God I hate it when my kid says the right thing," she said to herself.

Santana went upstairs and heard Brittany on the phone.

"I will. I promise. Thanks Mom. Love you too. K. Bye," Brittany said.

"How's your Mom?" Santana asked, stepping half way into Brittany's room.

"Oh she's good," Brittany said with a relaxed smile as she set down her phone.

"Well I'm glad you got to talk to her. You look a lot more relaxed and happy," Santana said, sitting on Brittany's bed.

"Yeah, I just kind of dumped on her and she gave me some good advice. I'm feeling better," Brittany replied.

"What kind of advice," Santana asked, genuinely curious.

"For me to just focus on the here and now, and not something that hasn't happened yet. Take care of me and one day at a time, I'll see everything fall into place, without even looking," Brittany smiled.

Santana forced her smile, "That's great Britt. So glad your Mom was there for you. And she's absolutely right."

"Need help with Mr. Poe tonight?" Santana offered.

"Nah, I'm good tonight. Tomorrow though?" Brittany suggested.

"It's a date," Santana said.

Santana leaned over and kissed Brittany. "I love you so much," Santana said, stroking Brittany's cheek as they pulled apart.

"I love you too Santana. So much," Brittany smiled back.

* * *

The week progressed like most others. Brittany got her grades back on Monday. A 74 in Chemistry and an 82 in English Literature. Both Quinn and Brittany were happy with the results of the review test and they did another Wednesday night. Brittany was in better spirits and more relaxed, just focusing on her work and not thinking about New York or how Santana and Kurt were counting on her to graduate so they too could go to New York City without worrying about rent.

Dr. Lopez came home Thursday evening and dropped a packet of papers on the kitchen counter. Santana and Brittany stopped their English review and looked at the very official-looking legal documents.

"What's this?" Santana asked as she started to flip through the papers.

"Your lease agreement. I just got back from the tire shop. Kurt's already signed, so we just need you two to read and sign it," Dr. Lopez explained.

"Wait, this is your friend's place though, right?" Santana asked.

"Yes, but he has a management company run everything. They handle the leases, the maintenance, the inspections, so he doesn't have to worry about it," Dr Lopez said.

"Is this in English?" Brittany asked, reading over the first page.

"Yes, well sort of. We'll call it legalese," Dr. Lopez chuckled. "Here, I'll walk you girls through it."

Dr. Lopez sat down and translated each paragraph and what it meant. Brittany worried her lip into her mouth, and signed all the sections Dr. Lopez explained and pointed out.

"There. That's it. I'll sign the guarantor paperwork and we're all set. You're official," Dr. Lopez said, kissing both of the girls on the head.

Santana looked over at a visibly pale Brittany.

"Britt Britt? You okay?"

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Brittany mumbled.

Santana got up and wrapped her arms around Brittany. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

Santana led Brittany to her bedroom and they laid down on the bed. The thought of killing her father passed, as she looked at Brittany's worried eyes.

"It's all legal now. Like, if I don't pass, it'll be like breaking the law," Brittany whined.

"No, no honey. Britt. Look at me," Santana pleaded. She kissed Brittany's cheeks and nose and eyes and forehead with little butterfly kisses.

"Nothing has changed since before you signed that lease. _Nothing_. Okay? You're working on your homework. You're doing this for yourself, one day at a time. That's it. Nothing else matters," Santana cooed, kissing Brittany's lips softly, to seal in her promise.

"But…" Brittany began.

"No buts," Santana shook her head. "Remember Valerie? Hmmm? Remember how nervous you were about performing and feeling like the entire Glee club's chances weighed on your ability to kick ass with Mike, and dance like you never danced before? Remember?" Santana prodded.

Brittany nodded.

"Remember what happened?"

"We won," Brittany replied with a little smile.

"And what did it take for us to win?" Santana asked, giving Brittany's nose a little boop.

"Well your singing and Mike being an awesome partner, and…" Brittany started to explain.

"Nooooo, it took you working your ass off practicing, and then letting your abilities speak for themselves. And they did. And we won," Santana explained. "That lease hasn't changed all the work you've done and all the work you will do. It doesn't change how smart you are and it definitely doesn't change how you and I stick together. No matter what."

"No matter what?" Brittany asked for confirmation, though she knew the answer Santana would give and the answer already in her own heart.

"No matter what," Santana nodded and curled up into Brittany. She kissed Brittany softly, and nudged their noses together.

"Stay with me tonight?" Brittany whispered her request.

"Absolutely," Santana replied with a kiss and a sigh.

Brittany awoke to breakfast in bed. Santana brought a tray of scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, a glass of juice and a mug of coffee. Brittany rubbed her eyes and smiled sleepily at the gesture. Then she took in Santana's appearance. She was still in her pajamas, but they were covered in pancake batter dust. Brittany sat up and pulled Santana in for a sleepy kiss. She licked the side of Santana's mouth first.

"Got some chocolate chip on you," Brittany smirked.

"Had to taste them to make sure they were good," Santana shrugged with a smile.

* * *

"How's Brittany?" Quinn asked as Santana entered the bookstore.

"Better. We had a set back last night, when Papi thought it was a brilliant idea to drop the lease on the table while we were studying. Britt nearly lost it. She was doing great too. All confident. Taking one day at a time. She talked to her Mom. Then all the legalese and signing official papers sent her back ten steps." Santana explained.

"How did you get her to relax, and don't tell me stuff you know I don't want to know," Quinn warned.

Santana laughed. "It wasn't really a sexy times moment Q. We talked and cuddled and I made her breakfast in bed."

"And that's it?" Quinn asked.

"That's it," Santana smiled. "Now, you ready to get your ink on tomorrow?" Santana asked with a smirk.

"Definitely," Quinn grinned. "I'm so glad I'm doing this with you girls."

"Don't get all mushy on me now, Q," Santana teased.

"Too late," Quinn smiled.

Saturday morning, Quinn, Brittany and Santana pulled up to the tattoo shop just as it opened. Quinn sat down with Brian and Kelly waited for Brittany and Santana to decide who went first. Santana eyed Brian filling in the colors on Quinn's tattoo. The buzz of the tattoo gun and Quinn's gritted teeth were not as cool today as they were last week. Brittany saw Santana's fidgeting clasped hands and immediately sat down in the tattooing chair.

"Me first," she said cheerfully.

Before Santana could object, Brittany had slid her right arm out of her tank top and bra strap.

"Is that a massage chair?" Santana asked.

Kelly smiled and nodded. "If you're getting your back done, you want to be comfortable, right? We just replaced the headrest."

"It's super comfy. I could take a nap," Brittany smiled.

"If you nap through this tattoo, you can have it for free," Kelly joked as she wiped the space between Brittany's shoulder blade and spine clean.

Santana watched as Kelly unwrapped the needles from their sealed plastic sleeves and set up her tattoo gun. She shaved the baby fine hairs from Brittany's back, wiped it clean with a spray of disinfectant and gauze pad. Another mist of liquid and the tattoo stencil was carefully placed on Brittany's upper back. Kelly offered a mirror for Brittany and held another one to see the reflection of the tattoo.

"How's that look to you?" Kelly asked.

Brittany smiled and nodded, then looked to Santana. "What do you think?"

Santana stood back with her arms crossed and squinted with careful inspection, tilting her head in consideration.

"Looks great Britt. Quinn? Third opinion is a charm," Santana offered.

Brittany got up and turned to show Quinn who was concentrating on some invisible spot on the wall as Brian continued to shade and color her tattoo.

"That's going to look great Britt. Perfect," Quinn said with a strained, clipped voice.

"Alright Kelly. Ink me," Brittany proclaimed.

"Okay Brittany. I'm going to give you a little line and then stop, just so you can see what it feels like," Kelly warned.

Santana sat across from Brittany and held her hands. She looked over at Quinn, who gave her a quick wink and a nod. Santana redirected her gaze upon Brittany. The buzz of Kelly's tattoo gun combined with Brian's.

"Ready?" Kelly asked.

Brittany straightened her back a little. "Ready," she replied.

Santana ran her thumb over the back of Brittany's hand.

Brittany winced and sucked in a breath as the tattoo needles pierced her skin and moved about an inch.

"You okay?" Kelly asked.

Brittany let out the breath and considered how she felt. She smiled in relief and nodded to Santana.

"I'm good. Keep going," Brittany told Kelly.

"You got it sweetie," Kelly smiled and started up again.

"You sure?" Santana asked, as she watched Brittany bite her lip and wince occasionally.

"Yeah, it's not that bad. It's like taking the tip of a steak knife and dragging it across your skin. It feels like a scrape, not a cut," Brittany explained.

After about 10 minutes, Brittany let go of Santana's hands. "I'm good," Brittany assured her. "I'm used to it now," Brittany smiled. "Go watch what she's doing. It'll make you feel better," Brittany suggested.

Santana nodded and gave Brittany a half smile and shook her head. Brittany knew her all too well. The more information Santana had, the better. Kelly paused from Brittany's back and instructed Santana to pull up her chair near by. Santana watched as Kelly's latex-gloved hands moved the tattoo gun with precision over Brittany's skin. She tattooed and wiped away blood and excess ink in a steady rhythm. The more Santana watched, the less scary and strange it became.

"You ready to take a break Quinn?" Brian asked.

"If you're finished with the shading, yeah, I'll take a break before we do the next one," Quinn replied.

She got up and stretched and waited for Brian to clean and cover her tattoo.

"Almost done Brittany," Kelly said as she wiped the skin clean. "Just a couple touch-ups and you'll be good to go."

"Santana, do you have ibuprofen on you?" Quinn asked.

Santana checked through her purse and produced a bottle triumphantly.

"Good, Britt will need it, and so will we after we're done," Quinn smiled.

"You got the antibiotic ointment and fragrance-free lotion still?" Brian asked.

"Yep. All set," Quinn replied. "Santana, you and Britt should pick some up."

"Already did," Brittany said. "Santana researched tattoo care and got everything we needed."

"We'll give you a care instruction sheet when you check out anyway," Kelly offered. "It's like our warranty. If you don't follow the instructions, I can't guarantee my work."

Santana watched as Kelly retrieved a fresh tattoo gun, needles and ink and set them up on her tray next to the chair.

"When ever you're ready," Kelly smiled.

Santana took a deep breath and felt Brittany link her pinky and give a little squeeze.

"Ready," Santana said with a nervous smile.

"Not so bad ass now are you Lopez," Quinn smirked as she returned to her chair and got prepped for her Unholy Trinity tattoo on the opposite side of her back from her scars.

"Shut it Fabray. I'm fine," Santana dismissed her.

"We charge extra if you're going to fight about it," Kelly quipped.

"I'd actually pay to see these two have it out," Brian joked.

Kelly, Quinn, Santana and Brittany all rolled their eyes in unison.

Kelly cleaned, shaved and prepped the stencil and placed it on Santana's back, between her left shoulder blade and spine.

"Here we go Santana. Just like Brittany, I'll give you a short line, so you know what you're getting into," Kelly warned.

Santana flinched and squeaked in pain as the first line was inked.

"So, should I give up or are you good to go," Kelly gently asked.

Santana glanced sideways at Quinn who eyed Santana with a daring look.

"Good to go Kelly," Santana forced a happy tone.

Brittany sat across from Santana and smirked. Santana's stubbornness would win out no matter what kind of pain she was in.

With their tattoos done, Santana, Brittany and Quinn walked out of the tattoo shop with their heads held high. Santana had an extra swagger in her step.

"Feeling like a real bad ass right about now aren't you S," Quinn remarked.

Santana nodded. "Sore, but yeah, it's a good hurt," Santana smiled.

"I'm starving, let's get lunch," Brittany suggested.

The car ride home was full of 80s rock ballads, fast food and singing at the top of their lungs. It was a distraction from the ill thought out placement of their tattoos when it came to sitting in the car for nearly two hours. None of them could lean back comfortably against the backrest of their seats.

Quinn dropped Brittany and Santana off at home. Brittany and Santana greeted Santana's parents as nonchalantly as possible, hyper aware of their tattoos and the bandages that might poke out from underneath their shirts. They finished their chores at Brittany's house that afternoon and returned bone-dry for the first time all summer. Maribel eyed them suspiciously as she returned the unused towel to the linen closet.

Brittany and Santana settled in with a movie on the couch as Dr. and Mrs. Lopez got ready to go out to a movie and dinner.

"Santana!" Maribel called from upstairs.

"Yeah?!" Santana shouted back, not taking her eyes from the television.

"Did you take my new lipstick?" Maribel yelled.

Santana paused and thought. She turned to Brittany with a guilty look. She silently mouthed "Oops."

"Yeah. Sorry! It's in my purse on my bed!" Santana called back.

Maribel huffed and shook her head and walked into Santana's room. She opened up Santana's purse and grimaced at the task of rifling through the receipts, packs of gum, and unidentifiable "garbage" her daughter had shoved in there. Maribel decided the easiest way to her lipstick was to dump the purse out.

"I swear I don't know how she can find a damn thing in this mess," Maribel grumbled.

She found her lipstick amid a handful of receipts and an appointment card with today's date and this morning's time filled out on it. She turned it over and saw the tattoo parlor logo and business information.

Maribel closed her eyes and sighed, then looked up at the ceiling, "Why?" she asked herself.

She returned everything back into the purse, including the business card. She heard Santana's footsteps race up the stairs.

"I'll get…it," Santana faltered as she saw her mother returning the last of the contents to the purse. "Oh. You found it okay?" Santana asked, in a fake light tone.

"I did," Maribel replied flatly, and turned to her daughter.

Santana remembered about the appointment card too late.

Maribel's eyes glanced over Santana's bare arms and legs.

"Let me see," Maribel requested firmly. It was a demand without the yelling.

"See what?" Santana asked.

Maribel tilted her head, and placed her hands on her hips. "Really Santana?"

"As long as you don't tell Papi," Santana pleaded.

"Brittany get one too? And Quinn?" Maribel asked.

Santana nodded apologetically. "We wanted to mark our friendship before we all went our separate ways," Santana explained.

"And you couldn't have made a scrapbook or something?" Maribel chided.

Santana shrugged and turned around, slipping off the left strap of her tank top and bra. Maribel carefully peeled off a corner of the tape and revealed the fresh tattoo shiny with ointment.

"Three sisters," Maribel commented.

Santana nodded.

"Well, I guess I can thank you for not getting a cartoon character, or a skull or a Mom tattoo," Maribel said as she replaced the tape back down on Santana's skin and made sure to press firmly.

Santana winced. "No, the Mom tattoo is the next one. Nice and big on my bicep. What do you think," Santana teased.

Her mother frowned.

"Too soon?" Santana guessed.

"Too soon," Maribel smirked through her frown.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N:** Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Winter Solstice! Happy New Year! Did I cover it all? Hope so. My dear fine unicorn readers, your latest installment awaits. For all you who keep asking me for sexy times and admit to me openly in reviews and PMs that yes, you are a perv, this is your time. It's here because it fits the time in the story. Your wait is over. Shout out to my bad ass beta Slayhue. Give her some love on Twitter.

* * *

Brittany passed by the refrigerator Thursday afternoon and smiled at the 80s on her latest Chemistry and English exams. She stopped and looked at all her tests, neatly arranged on the side and doors of the fridge. Maribel made sure the best grades were placed at Brittany's eye level, and Brittany appreciated the gesture and the reminder that she can do well.

Maribel entered the house after work, and immediately kicked off her heels and hung up her purse. She saw Brittany lean against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, smiling at the closed fridge.

"Quinn not coming today?" Maribel asked.

Brittany shook her head and smiled as she turned to Mrs. Lopez.

"No. I did really well on my practice test; so we agreed I could give my brain a much-need Chemistry break," Brittany replied.

"Excited about your family coming home?" Maribel asked as she slid an arm around Brittany's waist, giving her a squeeze.

Brittany nodded, and leaned her head on Maribel's shoulder.

"What is it sweetie?" Maribel asked.

"Thanks for this summer," Brittany replied with a shy smile. "You and Dr. Lopez. You didn't have to. But you did. And you did great," Brittany complimented.

Maribel's heart fluttered with the sincere compliment. "You started packing up your room didn't you?"

Brittany nodded.

"You're like our second daughter, you know that. We'd do anything we could for you and your family," Maribel replied and drew Brittany into a full hug.

"And I think if Santana and you had anything to do with it," Maribel whispered, looking up at Brittany, "you two would make that official some day."

Brittany looked away with a chuckle and embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, I thought so," Maribel commented and released Brittany with a pat on the back. "Going to do more packing?"

"No," Brittany replied. "Santana's coming home early from work, and we're going to do grocery shopping for my parents. Make sure everything's set for them on Saturday."

"That's very thoughtful of you Brittany," Maribel complimented.

"I get it right sometimes," Brittany smiled.

"_Most_ of the time kiddo. _Most_ of the time," Maribel replied.

Santana came home and found Brittany sitting on her bed, writing in her notebook.

"Hey Britt Britt," Santana greeted, sitting down on the bed. "What are you up to?"

"Finishing up the grocery list," Brittany replied.

Santana leaned over and gave Brittany a peck on the lips. She looked around the room and saw the empty closet and Brittany's suitcase open and half full.

"Packing already?" Santana asked with a frown.

"Mmhmm," Brittany confirmed, meeting Santana's eyes and giving her a sympathetic smile. "It's just for a couple weeks you know. Then we'll be living together for real," Brittany reminded her.

Santana grinned at the prospect. "It's really happening, isn't it?"

Brittany nodded.

Santana took the grocery list out of Brittany's hands and tossed it aside. She crawled up over Brittany and ungracefully flopped down on top of Brittany.

"Ooof!" Brittany gasped then giggled.

Santana ignored her and nuzzled her neck, peppering it with kisses.

"We're going to live together," Santana whispered in Brittany's ear.

Brittany hugged Santana tightly. "Yeah, we are. We really are," she sighed.

Brittany took the lead grocery shopping. She went through, aisle by aisle, picking out her dad's apple butter, her sister's favorite cereal, and fresh fruit and yogurt for her mom. Santana followed along, pushing the cart and retrieving items as Brittany asked for them. Brittany broke the silence as they picked out produce.

"I like this," Brittany remarked.

"Grocery shopping?" Santana questioned. Not her favorite chore, but it beat cleaning the bathroom.

"Doing all the little 'life' things with you. Like this. I like grocery shopping and doing chores with you. It makes me think about…" Brittany's voice faded as she drifted off in thought.

"About doing all this together?" Santana ventured to guess.

Brittany smiled and nodded.

"Being all grown up. Together," Brittany confessed with a smile, dropping a head of lettuce in the shopping cart.

Santana just smiled at Brittany and let her walk ahead to find more items on their list. Santana really liked that thought too.

Brittany and Santana returned to Brittany's house and unloaded the groceries. Santana plugged in the refrigerator, the microwave and all the other appliances they had unplugged nearly two months ago. Santana turned on the air conditioner and made sure all the rooms were open and looked ready for her parents' and sister's return. Brittany brought her suitcase up to her room and unpacked her clothes. She sat on her bed and stared at her walls full of photos and decorations collected over the years. The fact that she was leaving this room, her room, started to hit her. Santana stopped in with a smile.

"Everything's set Britt," she said.

"Thanks," Brittany replied, her smile fading with a sigh.

"Something wrong?" Santana asked, moving across the room and stood at the end of the bed.

"Not wrong, I don't think. Just, weird. I don't know. In a couple weeks, this won't be my room anymore," Brittany explained.

"I'm pretty sure it'll still be your room when you visit," Santana said, trying to comfort.

"Yeah, I know. It's just weird to say goodbye to all this. There's a lot of memories in this room," Brittany mused, looking around.

Santana's thumb rubbed over the notches on the bed frame. She stopped at the first one and ran her finger lightly over it.

"Really good memories," Santana smiled. "Our first kiss was here."

"Our first sober one, yeah," Brittany teased.

Santana rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Brittany saw Santana's finger stroke the notch on her bed frame.

"A lot of firsts," Brittany whispered and shuffled down her bed and pulled Santana's hand away from the frame.

"Lay with me?" Brittany asked, pulling Santana onto her bed.

Santana just smiled and joined Brittany on her bed. Santana curled around Brittany and pulled her close.

"A lot of firsts," Santana said, kissing Brittany's cheek.

"I loved our first time," Brittany whispered, holding Santana's hand to her chest.

"Me too," Santana replied, nudging her nose against Brittany's cheek. "But I love our every time since just as much."

Brittany rolled over so they lay on their sides, facing each other.

"I remember being so nervous," Santana confessed as she played with the hem of Brittany's t-shirt.

"I was too, but probably more excited than nervous," Brittany admitted rubbing Santana's back. "You were so gentle."

"So were you," Santana said. "One more time here, before we go?"

Brittany nodded. "Yeah, since we checked your bed off the list of 'one more time' before we go last weekend and Mom's starting your mom's rule. Not while they're in the house."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Our moms really shouldn't talk so much. They're a bad influence on each other," Santana complained.

"Mmmhmm," Brittany replied as she leaned in and kissed Santana. Her hands sliding up the back of Santana's shirt.

Santana smiled into the kiss, then pulled away, sat up and tugged Brittany up to do the same. Santana lifted Brittany's shirt and pulled it over her head, only losing her gaze as the cotton t-shirt covered her face. Brittany took off Santana's shirt as well, and they sat for a few moments in their bras and shorts, taking each other in. Santana tucked Brittany's hair behind her ear, then let her fingers stroke over Brittany's cheek, down her neck, along her collarbone and stopped on Brittany's chest. Brittany mirrored Santana's actions and they both grinned as they felt each other's heartbeats quicken.

Brittany and Santana both leaned in for a slow, deep, soft kiss. It did remind them of their first time together, even their first real kiss, but without all the nervousness. They set the tone for each other in that kiss, and their hands that slid to their waists. There was no rush, just plenty of time for them to appreciate each other in this moment, this afternoon in this bed.

"Undress me," Brittany murmured against Santana's lips.

Santana smiled and kissed Brittany and got up off the bed.

"Come here," Santana invited.

Brittany stood in front of Santana and ran her hands over Santana's shoulders and down her arms, pulling the bra straps with her. Santana reached around and unclasped Brittany's bra. Her fingers gently grazed the scaly skin of the still healing tattoo. Santana took her bra off and dropped it to the floor. Brittany rolled her shoulders. Santana's gaze and palms focused on Brittany's breasts. She gently cupped them and pushed up on her toes to kiss Brittany again. Brittany removed Santana's bra and let her hands roam over Santana's back and waist and abs and up to her chest. They kissed and hummed at the sensation of their warm skin pressed together. Brittany pulled at Santana's shorts, unbuttoned and unzipped them. They fell to her ankles without Santana moving.

"I like these shorts. They're…convenient," Brittany chuckled.

"I like yours too," Santana said, as she pulled at the elastic waistband and they too dropped to the floor.

Santana slid her hands into the back of Brittany's underwear and squeezed her butt, then hooked her thumbs in the elastic and pushed down. She slid her hands forward to her hips and pushed her panties down to drop with the shorts at her ankles. Santana stepped out of her shorts and stood back a couple of steps, linked their hands out to their sides and took in the beautiful sight. Brittany smirked at Santana's darkened eyes as they finally met hers.

"Hi," Brittany whispered.

"Hi," Santana grinned back.

Brittany kicked her shorts and panties aside and knelt down in front of Santana. She kissed the front of her hip. Pulled on her underwear and kissed newly revealed skin. Brittany kissed her way slowly down the tops of Santana's thighs as she dropped her panties lower and lower, until Santana could finally step out of them. When she did, Brittany ran her hands up the back of Santana's legs, over her butt and kissed the crease at the top of her thigh. Santana ran her fingers through Brittany's hair, grateful and encouraging and comforting. Brittany looked up to meet Santana's gaze and smiled.

"Every inch of you is wonderful," Brittany complimented.

Santana smiled back and pulled at Brittany's arms to encourage her to stand up. She drew Brittany into a hug and stood there. Knees and thighs and stomachs and breasts and arms all pressed together in a warm blanket of everything both of them wanted. They returned to Brittany's bed, the one with so many memories. So many firsts. They lay facing each other on cool cotton sheets, their hands on each others shoulders, their legs entwined, kissing slow, deep wet kisses.

Brittany untangled her legs from Santana's and took Santana's hand from her shoulder and guided it down her body, over her breast, the dip in her waist and between her legs. Santana gently cupped Brittany, pressed into her and felt her swollen and slick. Brittany nudged Santana's legs open with her hand and felt her equally turned on.

Santana stopped their kiss, and nudged and kissed the tip of Brittany's nose.

"Hi," Santana gasped as Brittany's fingers started to slide up and down and around her clit.

"Hey," Brittany said, biting her lip as Santana returned the favor.

"How are you?" Santana asked.

"Fantastic. You?"

"Never better."

Brittany pushed a finger inside Santana then a second one. She drew lazy light circles around her clit with her thumb.

"Okay, even better," Santana sighed.

Santana's tongue was searching out Brittany's as soon as their lips met in another kiss. Her fingers sank into Brittany and stilled inside her. Santana just lightly pulsed her fingertips up and down.

Brittany and Santana stayed like that, minute after minute. Kissing and connected. Wet tongues and wet fingers seeking out dark warm places to touch and be touched. It was slow and soft and sweet and relaxed.

"More," Brittany asked, her pelvis nudging into Santana's hand.

Santana slid a third finger inside and Brittany just closed her eyes and grinned pressing more into Santana. Brittany's fingers and thumb continued their steady pace building up Santana. Brittany was kind of surprised she was so calm with three fingers pulsing inside her and Santana's thumb gently rubbing her clit. She kept the same rhythm with Santana, yet she too wasn't clamoring for release or seem desperate for it.

"You okay?" Brittany asked, as the tightening in her lower belly sent warm pulses through her.

"So good," Santana purred, kissing Brittany's jaw. "Not chasing an orgasm like usual. But getting awfully close," she drawled. "Just loving every little touch you give me and every little sound you make, because of me."

Brittany gasped as Santana gave a little thrust with her hand.

"Like that," Santana smirked.

Brittany rolled half on top of Santana and kissed her hard and sloppily.

"I wasn't chasing one either, but it's showing up anyway," Brittany said between kisses down Santana's neck.

"I want to taste you," they both said at the same time.

Brittany stopped kissing Santana's neck and hovered over her face. Her eyes danced back and forth with Santana's. They both just smiled, lazy and content at one another. Brittany brushed her nose against Santana's lips and sunk into a deep kiss. Her tongue slid along Santana's in the way she planned to soon taste her.

Santana broke away from their kiss and let her lips wander down Brittany's neck and chest. She pushed Brittany gently back on her side and pulled her thumb away from Brittany's clit, as she kissed and sucked Brittany's nipples. Brittany arched into Santana's mouth and pressed into her fingers more. Santana scooted down the bed and swung her legs toward the head of the bed. Santana laid on her side and kissed her way down Brittany's stomach and Brittany kissed her way up Santana's thighs, pulling one leg over her shoulder.

Their fingers slipped out of each other just long enough to wrap their hands around their legs and enter from behind. The both moaned from the full sensation. Santana paused over Brittany and nudged her clit with her nose. She breathed her in and felt Brittany exhale hot breath over her swollen, slick folds. Both soft warm open mouths and tongues painted love and adoration and desire from their fingers sunk deep to their clits, swollen and sensitive and on the edge.

Brittany's mouth and hips moved in sync with Santana's, as they licked and sucked and pulsed their fingers. Santana loved being surrounded by everything that is Brittany. Her head buried between her legs, her fingers buried deep inside her, Brittany's breasts rubbing against her belly. Everything felt connected and they both reveled in knowing they were both feeling the same thing at the same time and pushing each other closer and closer to the edge with each passing moment. It was a heady cocktail that both Brittany and Santana would happily drink for the rest of their lives.

Santana felt Brittany clench around her fingers and Brittany's mouth speeding up on her clit. Santana legs squeezed tighter around Brittany's head and shoulder, pulling her in tighter, to get herself as close as Brittany was to release. Brittany pulled away from Santana and said her name once before she bit the inside of her thigh as she came undone, her scream muffled by Santana's clenched thighs. Santana continued to gently pulse her fingers inside Brittany, and lick her clean, bringing her slowly down. Santana clit had other ideas and they weren't as gentle. She was so close and her hips involuntarily pressed into Brittany's fingers and sought out her mouth to finish what she started. She whimpered with need as she tenderly kissed around Brittany's mound and folds and inner thigh. As soon as Brittany felt she could breathe again, she focused all her attention on Santana wriggling against her. She pressed her fingers inside her and gave a few thrusts as she sucked on her clit. That's all it took for Brittany to hear and feel Santana come undone and gasp hot breaths of relief in between her legs. Brittany loosened her grip on Santana, and stroked her thighs and butt, gently kissing and licking Santana.

Santana groaned a sigh of relief and rolled onto her back. Brittany propped herself up on her elbow and smiled down at Santana.

"Come here," Santana beckoned and Brittany joined her at the foot of the bed.

"God you're covered in me," Santana chuckled, pulling a stray hair that clung to Brittany's wet cheek.

"Looks like we're even, then," Brittany grinned and pulled Santana in for another kiss.

* * *

Friday afternoon, after Brittany finished her exams, she packed up the rest of her belongings, plus Lord Tubbington, and dropped them off at her house. She returned to the Lopez's house for one last dinner.

Dr. Lopez arrived home before Santana, and greeted his wife and Brittany who were preparing dinner in the kitchen. He settled into his favorite chair, picked up a magazine and put his feet up. Maribel watched him as he frowned and looked around.

"The cat gone already?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"Yeah, I took him back today. You don't have to fight him for your chair anymore Dr. Lopez," Brittany teased.

Dr. Lopez continued to frown, but returned his attention to his magazine. Maribel smiled and shook her head. She knew it. She knew as soon as he complained about Lord Tubbington as much as he did this summer, he really was going to miss that fat cat. She made a mental note to take her husband to the animal shelter once Santana moved to New York.

Santana came home from work and Brittany greeted her near the door with a kiss.

"I really am going to love getting used to that," Santana grinned.

"Me too. Whoever gets home first gets to make dinner," Brittany winked.

"You just like me in an apron," Santana teased.

"Just the apron," Brittany whispered.

"Still sitting here," Dr. Lopez announced, not looking up from the magazine.

"I'm going to take a shower," Santana announced, straightening up her posture and attitude.

"Can I get you a drink Dr. Lopez," Brittany offered, clearing her throat and mind.

"I'm good Brittany, thank you," Dr. Lopez said with a raised eyebrow to soften his stern expression.

"Help me set the table Brittany?" Mrs. Lopez called from the kitchen.

"Sure!" Brittany agreed all too quickly to Maribel's rescuing request.

One good thing about moving back to her house that night, she wouldn't have be in a near constant state of on edge around Dr. Lopez. She seemed to have a knack for being just inappropriate enough to make Dr. Lopez lose his sweet smile and gain his protective father persona.

After dinner, Dr. Lopez and Maribel retired to the back deck with their drinks, while Santana and Brittany cleaned up the dinner dishes.

"You sure you don't want me to stay over tonight?" Santana asked, drying a serving dish.

Brittany sighed and shook her head. "I'd love that, you know that. But I want to get up early and make sure everything's set for tomorrow. And I know you promised to help Kurt pick out the moving van tomorrow morning."

"Vans. Two. I'm not making that trip with him. I have to live with him; I can't be stuck in a van for 10 hours and still like him. Or myself," Santana explained.

Brittany smiled, shook her head and rubbed Santana's back. "Well, thank you for doing that anyway."

"You're welcome. You've got a lot of family time to catch up with," Santana smiled.

Brittany kissed Santana's cheek and whispered in her ear, "You're my family too, you know."

Santana blushed and smiled. "And you're mine."

Mrs. Lopez called for the girls to join them out back. Brittany and Santana finished up and went out the back door. Brittany gasped at the chocolate iced cake decorated with candles.

"But it's not my birthday," Brittany protested.

"It's a 'Thanks for being part of our family this summer and congratulations on all your hard work' cake," Maribel explained.

"We've loved having you Brittany," Dr. Lopez added.

Brittany wiped away a happy tear. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything Britt," Santana said, her hand on the small of Brittany's back. "Just make a wish and blow out the candles."

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut and took a moment to gather her thoughts into a clear wish. She voiced her wish in her head, taking the time to be clear and specific, and blew out the candles in one breath.

The Lopez's and Brittany ate their slices of cake and spent the rest of the evening talking. At Brittany's first yawn, Santana nudged her to get up. Santana walked Brittany to the door and gave her a soft, long kiss goodnight.

"Have a good time with your family this weekend," Santana quietly said.

"Thank you," Brittany replied. "I think I miss you already."

"Soon. I'll see you Monday to start Finals review, okay?" Santana soothed.

* * *

Santana rung Kurt's doorbell with one hand and gripped her travel coffee mug with the other. Kurt opened the door with a smile that soon faded. Santana looked like she did after Rachel's Train Wreck Party Extravaganza.

"Are you hung over?" Kurt whispered.

"It's 8 in the morning on a Saturday. This is what you get Hummel," Santana grumbled.

Kurt invited her in and offered fresh coffee from his French press.

"You're alright Kurt," Santana said, eyeing the French press.

"Let me know when you're ready to talk dimensions and splitting up the Ikea stuff for moving," Kurt carefully suggested.

"How's never sound?" Santana weakly smirked. "Got anything to eat?"

Kurt directed her to the breakfast nook, where there was a bowl of fruit salad, yogurt, granola, a quiche and a carafe of orange juice.

"Jesus Kurt," Santana said as she sat down. "Is this what you do every morning?"

"Oh god no. No. I'm more of a brunch man myself. I started making healthy breakfasts when my Dad was sick. I do this on weekends sometimes, but not quiche. That's the special treat," Kurt explained.

"Britt tell you I liked it?" Santana asked, serving herself a piece.

Kurt nodded with an apologetic shrug. "You and I have had our moments of not hating each other the past couple of years. Since we're going to be living together, I thought we should try to have more of those."

Santana washed down her bite of quiche with a gulp of coffee.

"I can handle that. You bringing that French press will help," Santana replied.

"It's on the packing list," Kurt replied with a confident smile.

"Good," Santana with a tired smile. "Okay Prancy, let's do this."

Kurt and Santana reviewed their Ikea purchases in the garage and, Santana was impressed how Kurt had split them up into small piles. He had them in their most compact arrangements. They went to the U-Haul dealer and looked at cargo vans and small moving trucks.

Santana stood in the back of a small moving truck and looked at the space. Kurt stood outside writing measurements.

"I don't hate you Kurt," Santana said, staring at the wall of the truck.

Kurt's pen stilled and he looked up at the back of Santana.

"You can be a _lot_ to deal with sometimes," Santana said with a shrug. "You being so…_you_…wasn't always what I wanted to be around."

Santana hopped down from the truck.

"Let's look at the vans," Santana said as she walked away and to another section of the parking lot.

"And now?" Kurt asked.

"Now what?" Santana asked opening the back of the cargo van.

"I _wasn't_ what you always wanted to be around. But now?" Kurt clarified.

"You're still a lot. But I'm used to you now," Santana said climbing into the back of the van.

"And you're used to _you_ now too, right?" Kurt suggested.

Santana stopped. Her shoulders stiffened. She didn't turn around.

"You don't know me Kurt," Santana said with a steeled voice.

"But I'd like to," Kurt replied in a kind, soft voice.

"We got time," Santana replied. "Just don't hold your breath."

Kurt and Santana returned to Kurt's house with truck and van information. Kurt walked through his scale diagram of the apartment and major furniture measurements.

"Looks like I have to go home and measure my bureau and Britt's, but it looks like we're good for the common living area," Santana commented.

"I think so too, and by the looks of it, we can get away with the vans and not the trucks," Kurt suggested.

Santana returned home and opened up her email. Kurt scanned his apartment diagram and emailed her the file.

She measured her bureau and tried to figure out how it would fit in their narrow bedroom. Even with the loft bed, it was going to take some creative positioning to get hers and Brittany's bureaus in that room.

* * *

Brittany spent the morning putting all her sister's favorite stuffed animals on her bed and prepping lunch so her family had a nice meal when they arrived home. She put all her tests up on the fridge, proudly displaying her achievements this summer. She even hung a banner in the living room that read "Welcome Home".

Brittany heard her parents pull into the driveway as she was putting the finishing touches on the lunch she had prepared. Brittany greeted her family at the car.

Her father was out of the car first to give his eldest daughter a hug. He picked her up and spun her around, so happy to see her after all this time. Her mother was next out of the car and drew Brittany into a bear hug. Brittany was surprised at how much strength her mother could pack into that hug. But it felt great to have her parents home, safe and only looking a little tired from the trip. She felt her sister slam into her back with a hug as her mother still held on tight.

"Hey Munchkin," Brittany greeted, reaching around to pat her head from behind. "Come on inside," Brittany said, taking a bag out the back of the car. "I've got lunch ready."

Mr. and Mrs. Pierce gave each other a surprised look, but said nothing. They grabbed the rest of their bags and entered the house. They beamed at the "Welcome Home" sign and the spread of sandwiches, salad and place settings at the table. Mrs. Pierce opened the refrigerator and found it full of fresh vegetables, fruit and all they would need for at least a week.

"Oh Brittany, you didn't have to," she smiled.

"I need to eat too," Brittany joked. "You had a long trip, it's the least I could do."

Mrs. Pierce closed the refrigerator door and read all the test scores. Her hand went over her heart and she let out a proud sigh.

"I told you I was doing well," Brittany reminded her as she came up behind her.

Mrs. Pierce nodded, "I know. Just seeing it in black and white. It's just…I'm so proud of you sweetie."

"Thanks Mom," Brittany replied and hugged her from behind. "Come on. Sit down, eat, and we'll catch up some more."

The Pierces spent the afternoon talking about Grandma and the trip and Brittany's summer. After they unpacked and settled in for the evening, Brittany went up to her room and started organizing her pictures and keepsakes she wanted to take to New York. Mrs. Pierce picked up the phone and called Maribel.

"Hey Susan, how was the trip?" Maribel asked when she picked up the phone.

"Long, but good. So glad to be home," Susan replied.

"I bet you are. Getting settled back in?" Maribel asked.

"Yes, quicker than we expected since Brittany apparently did all the shopping the cleaning, made us all lunch and even had time to put up a banner welcoming us home," Susan laughed in disbelief.

"She's a good kid, Susan. You know that," Maribel smiled. "She's probably doing your laundry too while you're talking to me."

Susan saw Brittany go upstairs so she knew Brittany wouldn't be doing laundry. But she put the phone to her chest anyway and listened for sounds coming from the laundry room. She heard the metal door slam, the buzz of the dial spinning and the water in the pipes kick in.

"What the hell did you do while I was gone?" Susan asked in shock.

"Exactly what you asked me to. Exactly what you were going to do," Maribel replied with a chuckle.

"And her grades! Maribel her _grades_!" Susan gasped. "God I wish she'd put this much work into all her classes for all those years," she sighed.

"No distractions. A _ton_ of motivation. Two tutors to help her. It was the magic combination," Maribel reminded her.

"I don't know Maribel. It's like you did some real magic on that kid," Susan complained. "I don't know if I could've gotten all that through her head this summer if I wasn't gone."

"You definitely would've Susan. Brittany didn't have a job, volunteering, Glee or Cheerios. Just school and studying and tutoring five days a week. As for the house stuff. One solid laundry lesson, they were good on grocery shopping after the third time and cooking is an on going lesson, just like it is for most of us," Maribel reassured.

"I can't thank you enough," Susan replied.

"Actually I wanted to thank you," Maribel confessed.

"Why would you thank me?" Susan asked. "You did all the work."

"But you raised such an amazing, thoughtful, kind, honest, smart daughter. It was truly a pleasure having her with us. She's such a good person and so, _so_ good for Santana. Those two together…well, they just work, you know?" Maribel replied.

"Some credit goes to her dad," Susan explained.

"You all get credit. Just don't sell yourself short. She's wonderful and you should be very proud of the job you did raising her. Really," Maribel concluded.

"Thank you Maribel. It means a lot. Coming from you. They're really leaving in a couple weeks aren't they? All grown up. I feel like I've missed everything and it's only been a summer," Susan sighed.

"I've been with them all summer and I feel exactly the same way. We can't win this one Susan. Either way, they grow up. They go to New York and we see them at holidays," Maribel replied.

"Want to come over for drinks tonight?" Susan asked.

"We'll be there at 8," Maribel agreed.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N**: Dearest unicorn readers. First I'd like to thank you for your patience. This update is a lot later than I wanted. A combination of work, life, holidays and writer's block prevented me from getting this to you sooner. Maybe I just didn't want to let go yet. We're coming to the end. Next chapter is the last chapter. One more, and we'll close the book on Mama Lopez and her lovable, wacky, wise adventures with Brittana. Shout out to slayhue for being my badass, kickass beta. Big hugs and a cuddle puddle of love to all your readers. Mwah!

* * *

For the second night in a row, the Pierce and Lopez parents sat on the Pierce's patio with their wine and beers, and talked about their daughters, work, family and the local news.

Dr. Lopez and Mr. Pierce moved to the driveway, when their conversation turned to cars, leaving Maribel and Susan to continue their discussion.

Both fathers stood in front of the open hood of the car, silently admitting they had no idea where most parts of the engine were anymore.

"Remember when you could open the hood of a car and see everything?" Dr. Lopez grumbled.

Mr. Pierce nodded and sighed. "Brittany used to be my little helper when I worked on my old Chevy."

Dr. Lopez smiled sadly, "Sometimes I wish my job allowed more of that kind of time when Santana was little."

"You made up for it in different ways," Mr. Pierce replied.

Dr. Lopez nodded, not necessarily convinced, but appreciative of his friend's assurance.

"I got Brittany a little tool box for their new apartment," Mr. Pierce announced.

Dr. Lopez perked up.

"Come see if I missed anything," Mr. Pierce offered, walking towards the garage.

"What are the guys up to?" Maribel asked as Susan returned from inside with a fresh bottle of wine.

"Arguing as to whether or not the girls need a monkey wrench in their apartment repair tool box," Susan said, shaking her head.

"I didn't get around to teaching them household plumbing repairs," Maribel chuckled.

"Brittany told me Santana and Kurt got the moving vans," Susan said, sitting down again.

Maribel nodded, "Yes. They've lined everything up. I think they're making the reservations this week."

"Ugh, I don't know about them driving all that way in those big vans," Susan worried.

'"I hadn't even thought about that," Maribel frowned. "I was still stuck on how I'm going to hate seeing that moving van outside the house in a couple weeks."

"Okay, we need to stop," Susan protested. "New subject. What's Santana up to this evening?" Susan asked.

"I thought we were changing the subject?" Maribel teased. "She's packing boxes for storage and boxes to take to New York. It's taking forever, because it seems like she spends 10 minutes with every single picture, glee program, and cheerleading keepsake," Maribel sighed.

Susan arched an eyebrow with curiosity.

"She's very sentimental," Maribel explained. "She's a secret sap."

Susan smiled. "Well, to the untrained eye, yes, very secret. Brittany though, she's at once sentimental and at the same time, seemingly rolling with it quite well. She doesn't seem half as stressed as I'd be."

"Good thing she takes after her dad a little?" Maribel asked.

"A very good thing," Susan replied with a smile. "Isn't Quinn leaving soon? Brittany said they had a fun time last weekend with her. Girl bonding day or something."

"Why they had to bond over tattoos I'll never know," Maribel complained, emptying her wine glass with a swallow.

"What tattoos? Who got tattoos?!" Susan asked, sitting up with concern and a little panic. "Brittany got a _tattoo_?"

"Uh oh," Maribel whispered, setting down her wine glass.

"What oh?" Susan pressed. "What did they get?"

"Well," Maribel started, gathering her now wine-hazy thoughts. "I knew the girls were going with Quinn, as she was getting a tattoo on her accident scars. I _didn't_ know they made a plan for all _three_ of them to get tattoos."

"They told you?" Susan asked.

"No, not at first. I found the tattoo appointment card. I confronted Santana and she showed me. Her father doesn't know yet," Maribel confessed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. It's not my place. Damn this wine!" Maribel complained.

"No, no," Susan protested. "Don't apologize. We haven't been home hardly a whole day yet. I didn't expect Brittany to show off a tattoo she knows I wouldn't like when we were still unpacking."

"My husband doesn't know yet. He's not going to like it either," Maribel added.

"I need more wine," Susan said, picking up the new bottle. "More?"

"What the hell, I don't have any more secrets I wasn't supposed to tell," Maribel smiled with her glass raised for a refill.

"Beer?" Mr. Pierce offered as he opened the spare refrigerator in the garage.

"Sure," Dr. Lopez replied.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He opened it to read the text.

_**You're driving – Maribel**_.

"On second thought, better not. Maribel beat me to it," Dr. Lopez smiled and shook his head.

Mr. Pierce tossed Dr. Lopez a Diet Coke. "With all the work they do, they deserve to have fun."

Dr. Lopez smiled and tapped his can of Coke with Mr. Pierce's bottle of beer, "Yes, yes they definitely do."

* * *

Quinn looked up when she heard the bookstore front door swing open Monday morning. Santana walked in with her hair in a messy bun. She didn't even have her travel coffee mug.

"You're late," Quinn stated.

"No shit," Santana answered.

"What happened to you?" Quinn asked.

"My parents were partying with Brittany's parents last night," Santana complained.

"What does that have to do with you?" Quinn asked, pouring Santana a cup off coffee in the biggest mug she could find.

"Mama came home drunk and woke me up, and I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Like wasted?" Quinn asked.

"No, more like happy tipsy, which is super annoying at two in the morning," Santana replied. "Then Papi woke me up before his god-awful early morning shift at the hospital as more punishment, to confront me about the tattoo, because Mama and four glasses of wine means she can't keep her mouth shut."

"Was he mad?" Quinn asked with genuine concern.

Santana shrugged, "At first he was, then after I gave him all the information on all the 'It's medical-grade equipment and sanitation and certified by the state' crap he eased up a little. Then he insisted on seeing it and checking for infection, which, hello it's healed _perfectly_. Then he complained about me ruining my flawless skin and wished I hadn't done it and regrets and whatever," Santana sighed. "Needless to say, I got about three hours of sleep last night, so excuse me if I'm an asshole."

"I'm used to it after all these years. It's only lately I've had to get used to you _not _being an asshole. So we're good," Quinn said with a sympathetic smile.

"Bite me Fabray," Santana sighed and sipped her coffee.

Quinn decided to change the subject. "Last week of Brittany's summer school. We still studying at your place, or Britt's now that her family is home?"

"It's up to Britt, but I think she wants to study at mine since her little sister's been all up her ass since she got home," Santana explained.

"She missed her," Quinn sympathized.

"I know," Santana softened. "Britt missed her too. But it's tough studying Chemistry and Lit around a needy 11 year-old."

Quinn nodded. "Any thoughts about a graduation party?"

"I emailed her dad while I was up, not sleeping, to see what their plans were. I assume they want to do something, invite family and all that, so I'm leaving it to them mostly," Santana explained.

"Is everyone else coming from Glee club?" Quinn asked.

"No one's around," Santana said with a defeated sigh. "Sam went back to Kentucky to help his parents out with his little brother and sister. Puck took off for LA last week. He said goodbye with a _text_," Santana complained.

"Mass text to the group. Stay classy Puck. Stay classy," Quinn commented shaking her head.

"Everyone else is still out of town or gone already, except Blaine and I'm not sure if him and Kurt will come up for air long enough to come to Britt's party," Santana frowned.

"They'll come. They like Britt and they put up with you, so they'll be there," Quinn assured her.

"They like me. Don't they?" Santana asked.

"You tell me. You spent the morning with Kurt all by yourself the other day. How was it?" Quinn asked.

"Well it was eight in the morning on a Saturday," Santana explained.

"So you were your ever-charming self," Quinn teasingly replied.

"Yep. But he was really nice and had fresh coffee in a French press and he made this whole elaborate breakfast spread with a quiche. A _quiche_," Santana said.

"Wow, he really wants to get on your good side," Quinn replied impressed.

"I guess," Santana said with a small smile. "Anyway, it was fine. He pushed a little about the whole 'gay thing' but other than that, he was fine. He was Kurt."

"What 'gay thing'?" Quinn asked.

"Basically how I'm doing and adjusting and me being all good with me and my gayness and how that somehow translates to me liking him more," Santana said with a roll of her eyes and a dismissive wave.

"You seem fine to me," Quinn offered.

"Exactly. I'm fine. I'm good. I don't like it when Kurt or other people want to talk about it. I'm me. No different. I like to keep it that way, you know?" Santana explained. "And Kurt is, well, Kurt, and I don't need to have some deep analytical discussion about whether I like him more because his flaming fashions and personality no longer freak out my closeted self or the fact that I'm just used to him now. Under all those hideous layers, he's a decent guy."

"Well you _are_ different," Quinn suggested.

Santana scrunched up her face in confusion.

"You're nicer," Quinn smiled.

"Whatever," Santana answered with a relaxed smile, and walked away.

* * *

Maribel came home from work Monday to a familiar sight. Quinn and Brittany at the kitchen table reviewing for her Chemistry final. Santana sat in the living room, organizing her English Literature notes for her review session with Brittany after dinner. Maribel's heart warmed at the sight, and clenched with the realization that this would be all over after this week. Brittany would take her final, and graduate and they would be gone in an overstuffed moving van. Away from her watchful eye, and into the start of a life on their own. Maribel's pride and sadness battled each other for much of the summer, but this week, the battle raged stronger. She could not push it aside as she had so often before. Her urge to just hold Santana tight to her chest and never let her go crossed her mind more often than not.

"How was work?" Maribel asked as Santana looked up to greet her.

"Good, how's your hangover?" Santana teased.

"Don't have one," Maribel replied smugly. "What's for dinner?"

"Tarragon Baked Chicken with red potatoes and braised spinach," Santana replied equally smug.

Maribel raised an eyebrow. A mix of impressed and surprise. Santana simply smiled back with sweet triumph.

"Dinner's at six," Santana stated, returning to her notes.

Yes, Maribel was really going to miss her.

Brittany and Quinn finished up their finals review and helped Santana with dinner preparations. Dr. Lopez came home to find his wife with her feet up, reading a magazine and his daughter and her friends making a dinner that smelled wonderful.

"You sure we have to let them leave?" Dr. Lopez asked as he kissed Maribel hello.

"Nice isn't it?" Maribel replied.

"Smells great girls!" Dr. Lopez announced greeting Quinn, Brittany and Santana in the kitchen.

"Ugh, you smell like hospital," Santana grimaced after kissing her father hello.

"Do I have time for a shower before dinner's ready?" he asked.

"We'll make time," Brittany offered with a smile and scrunched up nose.

After dinner, Santana went with Brittany to her house, to start their English Literature review.

"Have you told your sister yet?" Santana asked during a study break.

Brittany smiled, "Nope. I'm going to surprise her this weekend. She hasn't left him alone since she got home. It'll be good for her. A little bit of responsibility, and a little bit of company."

"There's nothing 'little bit' about Tubbs, Britt," Santana remarked. "It'll be nice though."

"Since I can't be here, the least I can do is leave her Lord Tubbington. Plus, I'm not sure how Kurt feels about pets," Brittany explained.

"He probably has more problems with pet _hair_ than actual pets Britt. I mean, Blaine's already got those puppy dog eyes. Kurt's one step away from getting a Labrador," Santana joked.

"Blaine has nice eyes, and I think a Labrador would be too big for the apartment," Brittany replied.

"As long as he doesn't insist on one of those weird hairless cats, I'm fine with talking about a pet for the apartment," Santana agreed.

* * *

Brittany entered her summer school classroom for the last time. Armed with a week's worth of review, a summer's worth of work and a 3"x5" index card full of Chemistry formulas her teacher allowed as reference, Brittany was ready to take her finals. She sat down, placed her lucky test-taking Koosh pen on her desk, and waited for an exam copy to be passed to her. She looked around, and took in the faces of her summer school classmates. Most looked nervous or stoic. Legs bounced with extra energy under the desks, pencils tapped desktops, bubblegum snapped, cell phones were powered down. It all felt very serious in that room. All of them had reasons for being there, and Brittany realized, she didn't know what any of those reasons were. She was so focused on succeeding for herself, for Santana, for her future. She didn't want to let Quinn down after she put so much effort into tutoring her. She didn't want to let down Dr. and Mrs. Lopez, as they were so generous to take her in for the summer. She wanted to prove to her parents, that yes, she could make her own plans, work hard and succeed without their oversight. She never wanted to repeat the disappointment in Santana's face and voice, when Santana found out she didn't graduate and she lied about it. She worked so hard to prove to herself that she was smart enough get out of Lima, Ohio, and start anew. New York felt like a fresh start for her.

Her classmate shook the exam copy and shook Brittany out of her thoughtful daze. She took the papers, passed another copy back to the person behind her, laid out the paper on her desk, took a breath, picked up her pen, and began.

Quinn, Santana and Brittany went out for ice cream for the last time that Friday afternoon. They celebrated a long summer full of hard work. They celebrated Brittany completing her final. They celebrated Santana's last day of work at the bookstore and celebrated early for Quinn's last workday the following week. They talked about moving and classes and their fears that they couldn't voice to anyone else.

They went home to their own families that night and spent the weekend apart. Quinn had more freshman orientation information to review. Santana was still packing and organizing and unpacking and repacking. Brittany surprised her sister with the job of taking care of Lord Tubbington when she moved to New York City.

Monday morning, Brittany closed her bedroom door and logged onto her summer school online grade book to see if her final exam grades were posted. She held her breath as she clicked through to see her Chemistry and English Literature scores. A smile grew as she saw a 72 for her Chemistry final and a 78 for her English final. Graduation was guaranteed. She felt light-headed from holding a breath she didn't realize she hadn't released yet. She printed out her grades and quietly put them on the refrigerator. Her parents were already at work, and her little sister was at her summer recreation art program. Lord Tubbington wound his way through her legs and meowed.

"I did it Lord Tubbington!" she proclaimed as she scooped him up and gave him a spinning hug. "I'm going to graduate!"

But it wasn't satisfying to share this accomplishment with her cat. It wasn't the same as before. She always shared her grades with Santana and Quinn. She stood in an empty house, in a quiet kitchen, finally reaching her goal, with no one to jump up and down and hug and squeal with her. Brittany wasn't having it.

Brittany started to send a text to her parents, but decided to wait. She went back up stairs, printed out two more copies of her grades and the graduation ceremony information. She stuck the graduation information on the fridge next to her grades. She stuffed the other copies of her grades in her pocket, grabbed her car keys and left the house.

Brittany drove to Santana's house, excited to share her good news, but the driveway was empty. Where could Santana be, Brittany wondered? She didn't have work, and Santana leaving the house before noon on a day off was weird. Brittany drove over to the bookstore to see Quinn and show off her final grades.

As Brittany pulled into the nearly empty parking lot, she saw Santana's car. She parked next to it, and peeked inside. It _looked_ like Santana's car, but it was immaculately clean inside and out. Not one speck of dirt, not one empty Starbucks coffee cup or fast food wrapper or three pairs of sunglasses in the center console. Brittany checked the license plate and sure enough, it was Santana's car.

Brittany startled Quinn when she slapped her final grades onto the counter with a smile. Quinn looked down at the paper, then looked up at Brittany with a bright proud smile.

"Santana! Come here!" Quinn called to the back of the store.

"It's still too early to yell Quinn!" Santana replied.

"Brittany's here with her final grades!" Quinn called back in a sing-song voice.

Brittany heard a scuffle of books and a chair hit the floor, and then the soft pounding of her girlfriend's feet as they ran closer. Santana bounded up to the counter and snatched the paper out of Quinn's hand. Santana's eyes focused on the passing grades, threw the paper back at Quinn, wrapped her arms around Brittany's neck, and kissed her. Brittany stumbled then smiled into the hard kiss and tight squeeze Santana had her wrapped in. Santana pulled away from the kiss with a loud wet smack, her eyes sparkling with pride and happiness for Brittany's success.

"Surprised?" Brittany smirked and giggled, still buzzing from Santana's reaction.

"No! No. I always believed in you. You know that. You're a genius Britt," Santana replied. "Just seeing it all official. It's, well, _official_," Santana beamed.

"So you'll be at graduation Saturday?" Brittany asked.

"Front row," Santana replied, then looked at Quinn.

"Front row," Quinn affirmed with a nod.

"What's with your car?" Brittany asked Santana, turning to lean on the front counter.

"What? Did something happen to it?" Santana asked, worried, glancing out the window into the parking lot.

"Yeah, it's spotless. The last time I saw it that clean was the first day you got it," Brittany teased.

Santana rolled her eyes and smiled with a little huff. "My parents made me clean it, since I'm not taking it to New York. They might drive it, or store it, or god forbid, loan it to my cousin."

"My parents are keeping mine at the house," Brittany said. "You're driving in your car to Yale, right Quinn?"

"Yeah, already got my parking spot bought and paid for," Quinn said with a smug smile.

"How did you pull that off? I thought Freshmen got last pick?" Santana asked.

"My roommate's uncle works in Parking and Transportation services. He hooked us up," Quinn replied.

Brittany gave Quinn a high-five. Santana rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Not even _at _Yale yet, and you're already getting the hook up. Nice Fabray," Santana complimented.

"What are you ladies up to this week?" Quinn asked.

"Packing," Santana said.

"Packing," Brittany replied.

"And more packing," Santana added with a tired grumble.

"Aww," Brittany cooed, tilted her head and gave Santana a soft sweet kiss. Santana hummed into the kiss and slid her fingers into Brittany's belt loops.

"Ahem," Quinn coughed. "Bookstore. Customers," Quinn reminded them.

Brittany and Santana pulled away from their kiss and Santana looked around. In a nearby, overstuffed chair, an elderly woman sat, looking at them over her "Family Circle" magazine.

"Don't mind me honey," she said, with a little shake of her head, and returned her gaze to the magazine.

Santana looked back with a little smile and shrug.

"Better get going. We still have a ton of shit to do," Santana suggested.

"Can we get together later this week?" Quinn asked with a little more pleading tone than she meant.

Brittany nodded with a big smile.

"Sure Q," Santana said. "Text us when your mom loosens her grip," she teased.

"I'll text you anyway," Quinn replied and waved goodbye as Brittany and Santana left.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: **Thank you for coming along on this adventure with Mama Lopez. Without further ado, I give you the final chapter. Final shout out and 1000 thank you's to slayhue for being the bestest beta in all the land. Mama Lopez loves you, and thinks you should call more often.

* * *

Santana and Quinn sat between their parents and the Pierces in the front row of the William McKinley High School auditorium. The speakers crackled and buzzed, as they sputtered out the pre-recorded Graduation March. The Summer School graduating class, all 15 of them, filed quickly from the wings of the stage onto the risers. Santana sat up straight and beamed as she watched Brittany walk across the stage in her cap and gown. Quinn noted that Mr. Pierce seemingly took a picture for Brittany's every step. The graduates sat, the music faded, and Brittany gave a quick wave and a smile to her front row cheerleaders.

Principal Figgins made a few remarks, and he and Ms. Pillsbury called out their names, one by one, and handed over the diplomas.

"Brittany S. Pierce," Principal Figgins announced.

Dr. Lopez, Maribel, Santana, Quinn, Judy Fabray, Susan, Mr. Pierce and Brittany's little sister all jumped to their feet, cheering and clapping. They made sure they were the loudest and proudest. Brittany dipped her head and shook it with embarrassed reaction to their cheers, but with a huge smile, as she got her diploma. Brittany gave a little curtsy to the small audience, her cheering section, and returned to her seat.

Out the corner of her eyes, Maribel saw Santana slump slightly with a sigh of relief. Maribel patted Santana's hand and leaned into her.

"I'm proud of you sweetheart," she whispered in her daughter's ear.

Santana paused with a little scoff. "This is Britt's graduation not mine Mama," Santana reminded her. "You should be proud of Brittany. She's the one graduating."

"I _am_ proud of Brittany. I'm also proud of you and all the work you did to help get her to this day."

"It was nothing Mama," Santana dismissed. "Quinn was a big help, but Britt did all the work."

"I remember, a couple of months ago, a very distraught and defeated young lady who didn't even know how to _talk_ to her girlfriend about graduation, let alone help her get there," Maribel explained.

Santana ran her bracelet through her thumb and index finger and smiled. "I was a hot mess."

"Well I wouldn't go that far," Maribel smiled. "The scotch and cigarettes were a bit much, don't you think?"

Santana shook her head. "I _may_ have overreacted. Maybe."

Maribel chuckled. "You recovered well though. You made a plan, you two talked, you worked hard, you made sacrifices, you supported her unconditionally, despite your own worries. _That_ sweetheart, is a big accomplishment. If you can do that, and you have, then you're more prepared than a lot of grown ups out there."

"For real?" Santana asked.

Maribel smiled and squeezed her hand. "For _real._"

Brittany looked over the audience and around the auditorium as Principal Figgins droned on about academic achievement, hard work and something about school budgets. Her eyes landed on Sue Sylvester's smug, yet smiling face, in the back corner of the auditorium. Brittany flashed her a smile. Sue uncrossed her arms, gave her a wink and left.

* * *

The Pierce's backyard graduation party bar-b-que was in full swing Saturday afternoon. Cousins, aunts, uncles, neighbors, Kurt and Blaine, all joined the Pierces, Lopez's, Quinn and Santana in celebrating Brittany's graduation. Brittany received texts from Puck, Mercedes, Sam, Rachel, Mike, Tina, Artie, Sugar, Joe and even Finn; all congratulating her on graduating and wishing her luck in New York.

Santana smiled as Brittany read her texts throughout the afternoon. Everyone liked Brittany. They may not have believed in her, supported her, or thought she could add two plus two, but they all liked her. Santana used to envy Brittany's ease with making friends and getting along with everyone. Now she's proud and happy for her. Santana knew that without Brittany, the Glee club kids wouldn't give her the time of day. They would've tolerated her for her talent, and then tossed her aside upon graduation. Instead, she had been wished well too.

She knew Kurt needed roommates to live in New York, but that he also liked them enough to want to live with them. If it were just Santana, she feared he would never have bothered. But there they were, celebrating Brittany's graduation and ready to move to New York.

Santana thought back to more than three years ago. How life was for her. For Brittany. For the Glee club kids. It felt like yesterday and 100 years ago at the same time. Santana sighed and watched Brittany talk with Kurt and Judy Fabray while Blaine looked like he was having the most serious discussion with Brittany's sister. Santana later found out it was about One Direction. The most serious of serious discussions for an 11year-old girl. And Blaine.

At the end of the evening, Brittany hugged her last cousin goodbye, and walked back into the house with a yawn. Dr. Lopez and Mr. Pierce were out back cleaning the grill. Actually, they were taking a break from cleaning the grill and patio area, because Dr. Lopez was busy showing Mr. Pierce the new grill he wanted on his smart phone. Kurt filled Tupperware containers with leftovers in the kitchen. Quinn wiped down counters. Santana put away folding chairs. Blaine helped her little sister take out the trash. She looked over and saw her mother and Mrs. Lopez with their feet up in the family room, half asleep and talking quietly. Brittany joined her friends in the kitchen.

"Such good kids," Susan commented to Maribel.

Maribel smiled and nodded, "Yeah, they are."

"We did okay, huh?" Susan asked.

Maribel nodded and patted Susan's arm. "We did great. So great in fact, that they're all grown up and ready to make lives of their own."

Susan nodded and sighed. "They've got nice friends."

"I think Glee club was the best thing to happen for Santana. I didn't like when she was all cheer leaders and football players," Maribel confessed.

"Definitely good to have a variety of friends," Susan agreed. "And these kids all seem pretty genuine. I just hope our girls find more of that in New York."

"They will," Maribel assured her. "They know what real friends are now. They'll figure it out."

* * *

Santana finished up her breakfast Sunday and joined her mother on the couch. Maribel was reading the Sunday paper, and absentmindedly handed Santana the _Style_ section.

"Where's Papi? I haven't seen him all morning?" Santana asked.

"He's shut himself in his office," Maribel replied, not looking up from the _Business_ section of the paper.

Santana looked over at the closed door. "He's being weird."

"You're moving this week. He's being a father who's going to miss his daughter very much," Maribel explained.

"So why is he hiding?" Santana asked?

"He's being weird," Maribel smiled.

Santana shook her head and smiled.

"You all packed?" Maribel asked.

"Just about," Santana sighed and set down her section of the paper. "Just have to do the box of kitchen stuff you were going to let us have, and the last of my clothes."

"Want to do that now?" Maribel asked.

"Sure," Santana replied cheerfully. "Let me just go get that box," she said, as she got up and disappeared upstairs.

Maribel knocked on her husband's office door.

"Who is it?" her husband asked.

"It's me. Santana's getting suspicious of you being locked in there, so you better come out or think up a good excuse," Maribel cautioned.

The office door swung open and Dr. Lopez snuck his head out to look around.

"Where is she?" he whispered.

"Upstairs and coming back down any second. So stop what you're doing," Maribel scolded.

"But I'm not finished yet," he whined.

Maribel rolled her eyes. "Finish later. She thinks you're being weird and I'm starting to agree with her," Maribel teased.

Santana came bounding down the stairs with a large reinforced cardboard box.

"She's leaving us _some_ stuff to cook with, right?" Dr. Lopez asked, eyeing the size of the box.

"Don't worry. Susan and I talked, so I know what Brittany's bringing to the kitchen. Kurt emailed what he had. He's bringing all the 'specialty' items," Maribel explained.

"He's got a torch for creme brulee and tart pans," Santana shook her head.

"What's a tart pan?" Dr. Lopez asked.

"It's like a shallow muffin pan," Santana explained. "I'm not going to complain though. The man's bringing the French press and he makes a mean quiche. He can bring all the weird baking stuff he wants."

Maribel pulled out old cooking utensils, appliances and pans she had set aside for Santana. Santana wrapped everything carefully in newspaper, and packed it neatly, one by one.

Dr. Lopez watched from the dining room. He watched quietly, for the past few weeks as Santana's room started to get less and less Santana-like and more and more spare room-like. He'd peek in, when Santana was out, and see less and less on the walls, and more and more in boxes. He was happy for her, to be sure, but he was sad for himself. He kicked himself for working too much, kicked himself for not asking her to help him with jobs around the house. He just did them, enjoying the solitude and quiet as the perfect respite from the busy, noisy hospital. But now he regretted not making Santana his "little helper" like Mr. Pierce had done with Brittany.

Dr. Lopez couldn't watch anymore, as Santana closed up the box and labeled it with a Sharpie marker. He entered the kitchen and tapped her shoulder. Santana turned around, marker in hand and was surprised by the strong hug her father gave her. Her face pressed against his chest, her arms pinned to her side by his arms.

"You okay Papi?" she asked, muffled in his shirt.

"I'm just going to miss you. That's all," Dr. Lopez replied.

Santana smiled and got him to loosen his grip enough for her to return the hug.

"I'm going to miss you too," she said, twisting him from side to side.

"Promise?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Promise," Santana replied.

Maribel leaned against the counter with a watery smile and sniffed audibly. Santana turned around in her father's arms to see her mother wipe a stray tear from the corner of her eye.

"Mama, not you too," Santana smiled through her sigh. "You two are killing me. It's New York, not Mars. I'll be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas," she assured them.

"Won't be the same," Maribel sadly whispered.

"Come here," Santana invited, her arms open.

Maribel joined her husband and daughter in a group hug. Santana kissed the top of her head.

"I promise it'll be okay," Santana whispered. "Promise."

* * *

Santana came home emotionally exhausted but uplifted after her last evening out with Quinn and Brittany. Quinn gave both her and Brittany Metro North passes, so they could visit each other. Santana had a great time teasing Quinn about getting the idea from Rachel. Santana wanted to kiss Brittany right then and there when she said Quinn had a "Hobbit stalker".

Santana felt pretty good about the Unholy Trinity. They wouldn't be too far away, and she liked the idea of all of them going their own way and reporting back to one another. She was looking forward to hearing all of Quinn's clichéd college stories, so she could one-up her on what she imagined would be her epic and fascinating New York adventures. Santana knew that New York was so much cooler and badass than little old New Haven.

Santana just finished getting ready for bed when she heard a soft knock at the door. She looked at the clock and frowned with concern.

"Come in," she called softly.

Her father opened the door and peeked his head in.

"It's midnight Papi, don't you have the early shift tomorrow?"

Dr. Lopez entered the room with a hand in his pocket and one behind his back.

"Having trouble sleeping," he said with a sheepish grin.

"Papi…" Santana sighed with a pouty smile.

"I got you something. Well I made you something. Well, I put together something for you for New York," he explained, entering her bedroom.

Santana smiled and offered a seat on her bed. Dr. Lopez presented a red tackle box.

"Um, I'm pretty sure I'm not going fishing in New York Papi," Santana gently teased.

"Open it," he encouraged.

Santana unsnapped the plastic hinge and lifted the lid. Inside, instead of lures and hooks and bait, there were neatly packed medical supplies. Anti-bacterial ointment, swabs, ice packs, gauze, tape, butterfly bandages, and a box of "Power Puff Girls" band-aids.

"I thought Brittany would like those," her father explained.

"She'll love them," Santana replied and drew her father into a hug. "Thank you so much."

"It's not a tool box, but…" Dr. Lopez began.

"Hey, hey," Santana pulled back from the hug and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Since when are you in competition with Mr. Pierce for 'Best Moving Gift from a Dad'? This is perfect, and so very _you_, and so very _useful_. Considering how many times I've burned myself cooking, I'm pretty sure we'll be using this more than the toolbox," Santana comforted.

"I put extra aloe ointment in there for you," Dr. Lopez offered, pointing it out in the medical kit.

"It's perfect Papi, thank you," Santana said as she kissed him on the cheek and gave him another hug. "Now go to sleep, or you'll be as bad as me in the morning," she said with a little shove.

"Oh boy, I'll be out of a job if that happens," Dr. Lopez teased.

"Exactly, so go to bed," Santana ordered.

She watched as her father closed the door behind him and sighed. She shook her head and smiled, as she picked through the medical kit he had carefully put together.

"I'm going to miss you too Papi," she whispered.

* * *

"Santana! Oh my _god_, use the _side_ mirrors!" Kurt yelled, as Santana tried to back the moving van out of its very cramped parking space at the rental shop.

"I _am_!" she yelled back, and slammed on the brakes.

"Use the _convex_ mirror!" Kurt replied.

"The _what_ mirror?"

"The little round magnifying one _on_ the side mirror," Kurt explained, coming to the driver side door.

"When did you become a damn expert on driving stupid, fucking, no back windows moving vans?"

"Since I've been driving cars onto my Dad's shop lifts since I was 15, and parking them with _precision_ when they were done and waiting to be picked up," Kurt replied with a bitchiness Santana couldn't help but appreciate.

Santana frowned in frustration. "Why do they park these things all close like a can of sardines? Christ!" Santana complained and smacked the steering wheel.

"Want me to…"

"No. _No_. I got this," Santana said, cutting off Kurt's offer to help. "Okay, wait, can you direct me, from back there?" Santana gestured to open area of the parking lot she's been trying to get to.

Kurt paused.

"I swear to Vogue, Glamour and Cosmo, I won't hit you," Santana pleaded.

Kurt nodded, still hesitant. "Just go slow, okay?"

"Don't worry Kurt, I still need you to pay rent," she smirked. "And to teach me that quiche recipe of yours."

Kurt rolled his eyes and took his position (safely) behind the van. After one more false start and two more rants of cursing in English and Spanish, Santana backed the moving van out of the parking space and waited for Kurt. He hopped in his van, adjusted the side mirror, and smoothly backed out in one try.

Kurt's phone buzzed with a text notification.

"**I hate you – S"**

Kurt looked over at Santana sitting in her moving van, giving him the finger. He chuckled, gave her a beauty pageant wave and blew her a kiss.

Santana followed Kurt to his house, and successfully backed the van up to the garage in two attempts instead of five.

"Quick learner," Kurt praised.

"Shut it Hummel," Santana smirked. "You have more than six inches of space on either side of your driveway."

"Well thankfully, after loading all this stuff up, it's all forward driving from here to New York," Kurt commented.

Santana nodded and opened the van back doors, ready to load up her half of the apartment furniture.

"I thought Britt was coming to help?" Kurt asked, as they both struggled with one of the 10 Ikea bed boxes.

"She was, but since she was away from her family for so long, she wanted to spend more time with them," Santana explained. "So I told her I'd handle the van and picking up this stuff, then I'm going over to her place later to load up her things, then back to my house and finish packing tomorrow, then well, we're out of here," Santana said with a relieved smile.

"Excited?" Kurt asked.

Santana nodded, as she slid another Ikea box into the van. "Excited, a little nervous too," Santana replied, hopping into the back of the van to straighten out the boxes. "You?"

"Same," Kurt said, as Santana gave him a hand up into the back of the van. "I mean; it's New York City, where I've wanted to be since I was a kid. But then again, it's _New. York. City_. You know?"

Santana smiled and nodded again as she let out a lung full of air. "Yeah, I know. I definitely know."

* * *

Santana pulled the van up to Brittany's house and let herself in with a couple of knocks on the door. Brittany's bureau, packed boxes and suitcases of clothes lined the foyer.

"Hello? 'Girlfriend with a Van' moving company is here for all your door-to-door moving needs!" Santana announced.

No reply.

"Hello?" Santana called again.

Met with silence, she quietly walked upstairs and nudged open the door to Brittany's room. All the pictures Brittany had taped up over the years were gone. The Cheerios doll was missing from the chair. Her red and black backpack in its place, empty and flat. Brittany was tucked between her parents on her double bed, flipping through a picture album. They were pointing and chuckling and sighing. Mrs. Pierce's eyes were red-rimmed from crying. A crumpled tissue gripped in her hand. Mr. Pierce smiled wistfully at the picture album, but mostly at Brittany. Brittany looked up and grinned at seeing Santana at her bedroom door.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Santana apologized, looking away and moving back out into the hallway.

"It's okay Santana," Mrs. Pierce replied. "Just taking a little walk down memory lane."

"Um, I have the van," Santana said quietly. "If you want to wait and do it later," Santana suggested.

Mr. Pierce stood up and pulled Brittany up off the bed with him.

"Nope, we're good," he said with a smile and his arm firmly around Brittany's waist. "Ready honey?"

Brittany smiled and held her hand out for her mother to take as she joined them.

Santana, Brittany and her parents loaded Brittany's belongings into the van with little trouble. They still had plenty of room for Brittany's mattress to go in on moving day and Santana's things tomorrow. Santana swung the van key ring on her fingers.

"See you Thursday morning?" Santana confirmed.

"Yep," Brittany agreed. "Me, my overnight bag and our mattress."

Santana gave Brittany a hug and a kiss. "Have a nice time with your family," she whispered in Brittany's ear.

"You too," Brittany whispered back.

Santana turned to get into the van.

"Where's my hug?" Mr. Pierce asked.

Santana grinned and tucked a loose hair behind her ear.

"Girl is going to take our Brittany to the big city. Doesn't have the courtesy to give us a hug?" Mrs. Pierce teased.

Santana approached them and Mr. Pierce stretched his arms out wide, enveloping his wife and Santana into a hug.

"Call us if you're having trouble. Promise you'll call if you or Brittany needs anything. Promise me." Mrs. Pierce whispered in Santana's ear.

"I promise," Santana replied, giving Mrs. Pierce an extra squeeze.

"We'll see you Thursday morning," Mr. Pierce said, releasing Santana.

"Bright and early," she replied with a smile and a little nod to Mrs. Pierce.

Maribel saw the moving van pull up to the curb and her stomach turned and her heart sank. She watched as Santana hopped out of the driver's seat, and walked up to the house, just in time for dinner. Maribel took a deep breath, smoothed her hands over her hips and gave herself a quick pep talk.

"It's only New York. It's only New York. Not like she's going to Mars. It's only New York," Maribel repeated to herself.

* * *

Santana woke up early Wednesday morning and slumped down the stairs into the kitchen. As she reached for a coffee mug out of the cabinet, she heard her parents talking on the patio. They were still in their robes, the newspaper untouched on the table nearby, their coffee mugs empty.

"She still won't come?" Maribel complained to her husband.

Dr. Lopez shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't think she's going to change her mind until Santana's really gone."

"Your mother. I just…" Maribel just shook her head in resignation.

"It's easier to be angry with your neighbor, than it is to be angry at someone 800 miles away," Dr. Lopez reasoned. "She'll come around. Eventually," he sighed.

Santana leaned against the kitchen counter and sipped her coffee. She had mentally written off her abuela, for sanity's sake. The heartache hurt less and less, but it was still there. It would sneak up and gnaw at her when she least expected it.

"She better," Maribel sighed. "Santana is going to be gone for over three months. When she comes back, I'm _not_ having an awkward Thanksgiving."

Santana distracted herself by starting breakfast for her and her parents. Dr. Lopez smelled the bacon first.

"I'm _really_ going to miss that girl," he said wistfully, his nose in the air, inhaling the scent of smoked meat.

Maribel smacked him lightly on the arm. "You're going to miss her for more than making us breakfast," she teased.

"Yeah," he said, opening his eyes and staring at his lap. "We did good, didn't we?" he asked, turning to his wife.

"I think so," Maribel said with a comforting smile. "She's happy. She's healthy. She's smart."

"I just think of all the things I _didn't_ know at that age," Dr. Lopez worried.

"And to think, here you are, a successful doctor, married to the best wife in the world. You helped raise an amazing daughter, who is much better prepared to live on her own than we were at her age," Maribel assured him.

"I could have used some of your lessons at that age," her husband chuckled.

"Me too. Why do you think I taught the girls all that? We made a lot of mistakes at that age, but we learned from them. I just hope all Santana's mistakes are fixable," Maribel replied with a sigh.

"She's smart, remember? And she's not alone. Brittany keeps her grounded, for the most part," Dr. Lopez smiled. "And Kurt's got a good head on his shoulders."

"If she'll listen to him," Maribel shook her head.

"She will. She won't admit it, not to anyone, even herself, but she will," Dr. Lopez comforted.

"Gosh we're making a lot of sense for parents with their only daughter leaving tomorrow morning," Maribel joked.

"There's nothing wrong with lying to ourselves to cover up the debilitating depression and panic," Dr. Lopez winked.

Maribel gave him a sympathetic pout and a nod of agreement. "Breakfast?" Maribel asked, standing up from her chair, hand extended to her husband.

"Love to," he replied, taking her hand.

Santana's parents were greeted with Western omelets, bacon, toast, fresh coffee and juice when they returned to the kitchen.

"You sure you can't come back on weekends, just to cook us breakfast?" her father quipped.

"Not unless you want to pay for every flight," Santana smiled. "Besides, today is Wednesday."

"Doesn't matter. It's my day off, so it counts. Well almost a day off," Dr. Lopez replied.

"I thought you weren't going in today," Maribel complained.

"Just from 7 to 11. They need coverage for the last part of the evening shift. Here all day. I'll have dinner with you, and I'll be here in the morning to see Santana off. Promise," Dr. Lopez assured her.

After breakfast, Santana and her parents spent the next few hours packing the moving van. Then repacking it, when they remembered they still needed to fit Brittany's mattress.

Santana wiped the sweat from her brow, as she chugged a glass of ice water in the kitchen.

"Where are you staying tomorrow night?" Maribel asked.

"Kurt and I are still arguing over that," Santana replied with a grimace.

"I wanted to drive straight through to the city, but he doesn't want to leave the vans on the street overnight. I mean I get it. It seems like a decent neighborhood, but you never know. So I suggested we drive through to New Jersey, so we're really close, but he didn't like the hotel prices there, and I told him I'd pay for it, but he got all proud and refused to do anything that wasn't split 50-50," Santana explained.

"Sounds like someone I know," Maribel mumbled.

Santana frowned and gave her mother a disapproving glare.

Maribel shrugged.

"Anyway," Santana continued. "Kurt suggested Stroudsburg Pennsylvania, because it's a lot cheaper and then it'll be about eight hours driving tomorrow and then less than two hours Friday morning. Then we have _all_ day to move in and return the vans to the rental place."

"Sounds like Kurt's got the right idea," Maribel commented.

"He does," Santana sighed with resignation. "Doesn't mean I'm not going to make him work for it," Santana smirked.

* * *

"One of these days, I'm going to get your Ropa Vieja recipe right," Santana said, leaning back from the table and rubbing her full stomach.

Maribel laughed. "Never. But that's okay. Make it your own Santana. I could never get it to taste like mother's, so I'll tell you now to stop trying."

"But I want it to taste like _yours_," Santana whined.

"Good luck with that," Maribel winked.

Dr. Lopez left for work after dinner and left Maribel and Santana cleaning up the dinner dishes.

"Is it just me, or does your father always have to be somewhere when it's time to do dishes?" Maribel asked.

Santana smiled and nodded. "Who do you think I learned that from when I was younger."

"Yet here you are, helping me with dishes," Maribel remarked with a nudge.

"Yeah, well," Santana paused. "I guess I realized I like doing these little regular day things, with you."

Maribel paused drying the serving dish. "When did you figure that out, may I ask?"

"When Abuela banned me from her house…and her life," Santana quietly replied. She cleared her throat and put on a confident smile to her mother. "Something good came out of that whole mess. Made me realize what's important. I can't sit in Abuela's kitchen and eat her home cooked meals, or help her with her groceries, or drink her coffee that you can stand a spoon in. I can't do that anymore. And I miss that," Santana confessed.

Maribel put her hand on the small of Santana's back.

"_But_ I _can_ do all that with you," Santana proclaimed proudly. "And your coffee is _way_ better than Abuela's," she added.

Maribel put down the dish she was drying and wrapped Santana in tender embrace.

"_God,_ when did you get so grown up?" Maribel sighed. Her tears of pride and love and heartache stung at the corner of her eyes.

Santana hugged her mother back and kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry Mama. I'm not _all_ grown up yet. You still have your work cut out for you, I'll make sure of that," Santana joked.

Maribel just held Santana tighter.

Late that night, Santana sat on her bed and looked at her empty walls, her empty clothes hangers in her closet and the carpet divots where her bureau stood for all those years. She ran her fingers along her headboard and over her mattress. Trying to hold onto the memories of this room, and say goodbye at the same time. She picked up her phone and called Brittany.

"Hey," she heard Brittany whisper.

"Hey, why are you whispering? You okay?" Santana asked.

"My sister crawled into bed with me. She's fast asleep with a death grip on my waist," Brittany quietly giggled.

"Aww, poor kid," Santana sympathized.

"Yeah, well, I'm going to miss her too. Between her at my side and Lord Tubbington pinning down my feet, I'm getting the sneaking suspicion they don't want me to go," Brittany explained.

"Yeah, you'd think I was made out of Velcro for as much as Mama's been holding onto me these past few days," Santana replied.

"It's hard for them," Brittany reasoned.

"It's not a walk in the park for us either Britt. Is it?"

She heard Brittany sigh. "No, it's not. But we have a big adventure to look forward to. A new life. A clean slate. They're just looking at losing us out of their daily lives. It's throwing them off their game."

"They'll get used to it," Santana comforted.

"They will. They just won't like it," Brittany agreed.

"You still want me there at seven?" Santana asked.

"Yeah, we're supposed to meet Kurt at eight, right?"

"Yeah," Santana yawned.

Brittany smiled into her phone. "Then go to sleep silly. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," Santana yawned again. "I love you."

"Love you too. Sweet dreams," Brittany whispered.

"You too," Santana sleepily replied.

* * *

Santana arrived at the Pierce's home at precisely seven in the morning. Brittany looked out the front window and smiled at a freshly showered, coffee cup in hand, put together and rather awake Santana strolling up to her house.

"It's a little early for you to be so…awake, isn't it?" Brittany teased as she greeted Santana at the front door.

"Guess I woke up in a good mood this morning," Santana replied with a kiss. "Can't imagine why?" she smirked.

"Our big adventure awaits, and it looks like you're more excited than worried," Brittany observed.

"Oh, I'm worried, but I get to do this big adventure with _you_, so that helps. A lot," Santana replied.

Santana helped Brittany stuff the mattress into the last remaining space in the back of the van. Her parents appeared at the front door, dressed, drinking their coffees. Her little sister was still in her pajamas, wiping away tears.

"I'll hang back," Santana offered, as Brittany turned to say goodbye to her family.

Brittany smoothed her hand over Santana's arm and gave her a little squeeze of thank you.

Brittany, her parents and her sister stood on the front steps in a group hug. Brittany promised to call that night and when they got to New York. Her sister promised to take the best care of Lord Tubbington. Her parents promised not to worry too much. Well, they promised they'd try.

Brittany slid into the passenger side of the van and wiped away a stray tear.

"You going to be okay?" Santana asked with a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah," Brittany nodded. "I'll be good."

Santana honked the horn as they pulled away from Brittany's house, everyone waving until they turned out of sight.

Santana and Brittany walked into Santana's house to pick up Santana's overnight bag and to say goodbye to her parents.

Dr. and Mrs. Lopez sat at the kitchen counter, sipping their coffee, their eyes tired from lack of sleep.

"Don't tell me you were up all night," Santana pouted, seeing the dark circles under her mother's eyes.

"I slept some," Maribel lied.

"We've got to meet Kurt at his place in a half hour," Santana said, fidgeting with her overnight bag that was left by the couch.

"We'll walk you out," Dr. Lopez offered, his voice rough from lack of rest.

He took his wife's hand and ushered Santana and Brittany to the front door and the foursome slowly walked out to the van parked in the street. Santana walked between her parents, they're arms linked around each other's waists. Brittany walked to Maribel's side, until she was pulled into her by Maribel's free hand. Brittany smiled shyly down at her.

"Have everything?" Dr. Lopez asked, as Santana tossed her bag into the van.

"Yes Papi," Santana smiled.

"GPS?" he asked.

"On my phone," Santana replied.

"Map?"

"In the van."

"Apartment keys?"

Santana pulled them out of her purse. Brittany pulled her set out of her pocket.

"Cash?"

Santana pulled $100 out of her purse. Brittany pulled the same amount out of her back pocket.

Dr. Lopez struggled to ask them what else they might have forgotten.

"Papi, we're ready," Santana assured him.

"I'm sure there's something else," Dr. Lopez stalled. "Oh right! Do you have you parents' undying love and support?"

Santana put her hand over her heart. "Absolutely."

Maribel and Dr. Lopez pulled Santana into a smothering hug. Santana hugged her parents back tighter. Thankful for their understanding when her abuela's was in short supply. Thankful for their support, when other's shied away. Thankful. Just so very thankful.

Maribel pulled away enough to grab Santana's face in both her hands.

"Call us," Maribel simply stated.

"I will," Santana promised.

Maribel looked over at Brittany.

"We will," Brittany confirmed.

"You don't _have_ to move," Maribel replied, meeting her daughter's eyes.

"That's what grown ups do Mama. We do what's right, even if it's hard," Santana explained, pulling her mother into a comforting hug.

"A very smart wonderful women taught me that," Santana whispered in her ear.

"I promised myself I wouldn't cry," Maribel sniffed.

"Then don't," Santana smiled, pulling back and kissing her mother's cheek. "Just wish us well."

"I wish that every day," Maribel replied.

"Then we're good," Santana assured her.

She stepped back and held both her parents' hands.

"We'll call you tonight," Santana promised.

"Good luck sweetheart," Dr. Lopez said with one last hug.

"Be good," Maribel said with a squeeze of Santana's hand.

Santana smirked at her and squeezed her hand back.

"Try," Maribel smiled.

Santana turned and got into the driver's seat of the van. Maribel looked over at Brittany as she stood near the passenger side.

"Thank you," Brittany whispered, hugging Maribel then Dr. Lopez.

"Take care of her," Maribel said.

"I will," Brittany promised, and got into the van.

Maribel and Dr. Lopez stood at the end of the driveway and watched as Santana and Brittany drove away. They honked as they turned at the end of the road. Dr. Lopez stood behind his wife, his arm wrapped around her waist, as he waved goodbye to his daughter and Brittany, until they drove out of sight.

"You did good," Dr. Lopez whispered in his wife's ear, holding her close.

"How do you know?" Maribel asked, between sniffles.

"She'll come back."

* * *

**Final A/N: Thank you for your continued support, encouragement, feedback, flails, quiet follows and favorites. I really do have the best readers. I'm taking a break (a little one) from writing, but I have a few ideas brewing for non-Mama Lopez Brittana stories. Maribel is tired and needs a vacation on the beach. She's had quite the summer, don't you think? So thank you again dear readers. You are fabulous, glitter-filled, rainbow unicorns of love and I adore you. Mwah! - jerzey**


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